Yin & Yang
by MiyukiShinodaMindFreak
Summary: An Orihime X Ulquiorra story. It's summer in Texas and fate has Orihime and Ulquiorra bumping into each other at a library. First, confusion. Then stress. What comes next?
1. Chapter 1

NOTE/DISCLAIMER: _Konnichiwa minna-san!_ This story was actually written by my tomodachi but she couldn't finish it because she wanted to focus on other things. The first part of the story has a different writing style but I've done my best to make it my style. So, initially the characters were original characters from my friend but I've replaced most of them with the arrancars and humans from Bleach. I do NOT own the characters from Bleach and they rightfully belong to Tite Kubo.

**Prologue**

One more day before summer vacation. I can't believe it's finally here. For the whole, entire year, I've been waiting for this day. And now that it's here... I just feel like taking a Geometry quiz. I do sound insane right now, but this is probably how my overly responsible mind reacts to freedom. Maybe it'll wear off after a couple of days.

Anyway, tomorrow is going to be an exciting day. For my friends, at the very least. Tatsuki and Roxanne already have boyfriends, so now we're all counting on Chris to ask Amy out. Okay, not so much me, but the rest of my friends are definitely all over it. For them, it's practically the one thing that's gonna decide whether the summer is going to be an awesome one, or just a normal one.

But I'm not worked up at all, and here's the reason: I have a knack for observing things with much more detail than needed. And it is this trait that makes me able to read people. I can usually tell is someone has a low personality or is a decent person, and lately I've noticed that Chris had been showing a lot of interest in Amy. The most obvious sign would be when he skipped soccer practice to tutor her Math. Sooner or later, I'm very sure he's going to ask her out. And it's most probably tomorrow. Very obvious, in my opinion.

Even though I have all this information, I'm not telling my friends. I want to be a good friend, so I'm not planning on ruining the suspense for them. May as well let them have their fun, right?

So, back to where I was, I'm just going to keep it all to myself and see what happens tomorrow. Right now, I need to get to sleep or I'll have to drag myself out of bed tomorrow. _Naze ka?_ Staying up late has never been my strong point.

**Chapter 1**

First thing I'd normally expect in the morning would be my alarm clock. But today, it's different. I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. Turns out I forgot to switch it off last night. So now, I'm going to have to wake up even before my alarm clock rings. I wonder how early it is? I fumbled on my table to look for my cellphone. Once I had it in my hand, I pressed the 'answer' button and said "hello?"

A loud squealing came from the other end of the line. I held my phone away from my ear until the squealing stopped. "Today is the last day of school before the summer! Can you believe it?"

I recognized the voice as Amy's. "Uh, yeah. Sure I can," I replied, still half-asleep. Amy on the other hand sounded as though she had been awake for hours.

"Oh. My. Gosh. I'm so nervous," she said. "Tell me honestly, do you think Chris will make a move? Is he going to ask me out? 'Cause today is, like, the last day. If we don't get together today, I really don't think I will ever get to date him."

I blinked a couple of times, trying to wake up my sleepy brain. Amy had been talking very fast (a habit that shows whenever she's nervous) and I couldn't quite catch what she was saying. "Um, I don't think you have to worry," I answered. "You're pretty. And I think Chris will have the guts to ask you out. If he's brave enough to score goals on the soccer field, I'm sure he's brave enough to ask you out on a date. Especially since today is the last day. Relax. Everything will be fine."

"You think so?" she asked, sounding genuinely worried. Knowing her, she probably has butterflies in her stomach right now. I knew her for long enough to know that she really took this seriously. More seriously than even the final exams we've been sitting for for this whole week.

"Definitely," I said.

"Okay." She sounded slightly more cheerful now. "I gotta go now. Thanks so much. Love you, Orihime."

"Love you too. See you at school," I said, and heard her click off. Moments later, my alarm finally rang. Weird...

I ignored the strangeness of my alarm clock's timing, and got out of bed. After I got myself dressed, I grabbed a brush and started brushing my bushy orange hair. I rarely ever changed my hairstyle. It was pretty much the same everyday. I didn't posses much creativity where hair was concerned. I sometimes did it up with chopsticks, or tied it up in a simple ponytail. And I definitely didn't do neat and tidy up dos. It just wasn't included in my range of skills. I stared at my face in the mirror. I love my unique set of eyes. They were a cross between dark purple and light gray. That eye colour belongs to my father's side of the family. As for my thick, bushy orange hair, it is from my mother's side. Most people thought that it was odd that a Japanese girl like me wouldn't inherit such eye and hair colour but that wasn't the only odd characteristic about me.

The way I dressed was also considered strange among my friends. They predicted that I would be like the kids in Harajuku, cosplaying as some anime characters or dress up outrageously. Besides that, the only apparels I wear for summer are t-shirts, jeans, and sneakers. I wore minimal accessories, and usually stuck to what was practical. My friends say I dress bad, but I just call it casual. I took one more look at my clock. Oh well, better get going. A couple more minutes before Tatsuki gets here to take me to school.

I waited outside my front door for a few minutes before a shiny, white BMW stopped in front of me. Everyone was already in the car. I was usually the last to be fetched. Roxanne, seated at the passenger side, waved at me. She was a very girlie girl, with gorgeous, blue eyes and long blond hair that was styled in tight curls. She loved the beach, and was a real fan of surfing. "Get in!" She called.

I got in, and we were off. Tatsuki, who was driving, turned to smile at me. Tatsuki Arisawa was a serious soccer jock. She short black hair which stuck out at odd ends. She was definitely NOT girly. She was very tomboyish but even so, her boyfriend loved her the way she was. Tatsuki loves kendo, hand to hand combat but when she was with her boyfriend, she toned down her aggressiveness and violence.

Amy Blackstone, sitting beside me, was the girl who was going to be getting all the attention today, was a redhead with layered, shoulder-length hair. Today, her fringe was pinned up over the top of her head and her hair was flat-iron-straight. This girl was a fashionista, and changed her hair practically everyday. She was also the one responsible for most of the comments I got about my clothes.

The moment I was in the car, Amy stared me up and down, before rolling her eyes and smacking her forehead with her hand. "Orihime," she whined. "Do you realize that you wore that exact same t-shirt four times this month?"

I looked down at the t-shirt I had on. It was snug, but not too tight. The t-shirt was white with black splatter designs near my left shoulder. It was one of my favourites.

"And you wear those sneakers every, single, day! I keep telling you to wear heels. Trust me, it looks better."

Now I stared at my scuffed, black, sneakers. What was wrong with them? They were comfortable. More comfortable than even the comfiest heels. "Maybe next time," I told Amy. I knew she would be satisfied with my answer.

She pouted a little but let the subject drop. Then she poked Roxanne on the shoulder and they started chatting.

The gorgeous BMW was given to Tatsuki by her parents as her sweet sixteen present, though she didn't have sweet sixteen parties. Tatsuki actually whined and begged for a Harley Davidson bike but her parents wanted her to be more practical and feminine and so they got her this car. Amy and Roxanne chastised her for not having a sweet sixteen party, but I didn't mind. I wasn't a party-person anyway. But Tatsuki, being the kind 'ol soul that she was, made up for it by taking us all to school everyday. So after that, me and my three friends all rode one car together to and from school. Tatsuki was the most generous person I knew eventhough she could be violent at times.

"I'm going to die if he doesn't ask me out," Amy said.

I did a mental eye roll. There she goes again about Chris.

"I don't blame you," Roxanne replied. "He really is kinda cute."

"Are you kidding? He's absolutely hot!" Amy started fanning herself with a piece of paper, and her eyes glazed over. "Aw, he looks so good with that messed up blond hair of his, and baby-blue eyes. And, and, he's so frigging tall. Plus he's so athletic, and plays awesome soccer..."

This was the kind of conversation that would work only with Roxanne and Amy. Tatsuki and I weren't so into this sort of talk. 'Girl-talk', that is. I admit that I am girly but I do not really like to have this type of conversation. Not because I didn't want to annoy Tatsuki but I was just simply the quiet one. I don't really talk much to people because I am quite a shy person. Already, Tatsuki was giving me an eye roll before looking at the road again. I chuckled to myself.

This conversation continued until we reached the school. Tatsuki found a parking spot and parked her car before we all got out.

"Anyone see Chris?"

That was Amy's first question as soon as she got out of the car.

"I don't see him," Tatsuki said.

"Don't worry," Roxanne said soothingly, patting Amy's back. "You'll see him soon."

We didn't see any sign of Chris for the rest of the morning, and we didn't see him at all until recess. He was a junior, and so were we. But none of us shared any classes with him. Okay, I _did_ have Gym with him, but he usually ditched that class. So I wasn't surprised to find he was missing from Gym. Even for the last day of school. So while I waited in the lunch line, Amy spotted Chris at a table with the other soccer players.

"I'm gonna go see if I can get him to ask me out," she said into my ear before hurrying off. I watched her walk toward Chris's table, and as she reached him, I saw her deliberately trip and drop her books. She was carrying only two books; novels. So I knew she was faking. I watched on to see how her trick would work.

Turns out her trick worked like a charm. Chris instantly got up from his seat to pick up a book which had slid under somebody's chair before helping her up. They started talking, but I couldn't watch anymore because someone shouted at me from behind.

"Oi! Move it, will you?"

I turned back to see who was shouting, and moved away from the line with my tray. I went to sit with my other friends, plus their boyfriends. Tatsuki's was Jared Coleman. He had messy, brown hair, and was the school's sprint star. Roxanne's boyfriend is Brandon Tesmer. He had short, blond curls, braces, and was a surfer, like her.

After I sat down, I took the apple from my tray and bit into it with unnecessary force. Looking at my friends, I had a high chance of being the only one in the group with no guy for the summer. Not that I minded, don't get me wrong. But I had a feeling I was going to be 'hassled' by my friends, mainly Amy, to get myself a boyfriend, and I really wasn't looking forward to that. I chewed my apple while I thought. I didn't even notice Amy banging her books onto the table and growling in frustration. I only snapped out of my daydreaming when she spoke.

"Still nothing," she grumbled. I knew what she was talking about. She didn't want to directly say that Chris still hadn't asked her out (seeing that Brandon and Jared were at the table too), but wanted to make sure that we knew anyway.

"Don't worry, Amy," Roxanne said, smiling sweetly. "I'm sure that you'll get what you want before the last bell rings."

"Yeah," Tatsuki joined in. "Take a deep breath and just be patient."

Amy gave a tight smile, but sat down anyway. She plopped down on the seat beside me and bit into her apple moodily. I had already finished mine and was chowing on my sandwich that I brought from home. The one and only weird thing that Amy and I shared was the deep and utter dislike for cafeteria food. We usually just bought an apple or pear and ate food from home. Amy sometimes didn't even eat anything apart from an apple. She sometimes liked to diet, and I (thankfully) didn't share that trait with her.

When the bell rang, Amy looked thoroughly depressed as she collected her stuff from the table. "Orihime," she moaned. "Do you really think he'll ask me out?"

She looked so upset that I tried to console her the best that I could even though it wasn't my forte. "Of course he will," I told her, giving her a tight hug. "If he doesn't, I'll eat my sneakers," I said, trying to joke.

She smiled faintly. "Okay, let's hope you're right. Then you won't have to eat your sneakers."

I sat through the rest of my classes with what could only be classified as boredom. Even during History, my last class, which consisted of an impromptu water balloon fight started by a bunch of well-known trouble makers didn't amuse me. Sure, it was kinda fun being able to throw water balloons at random classmates for a couple of minutes. But the consequences were rather off-putting. Our grumpy History teacher, Mr Wright, made us all clean up the mess that we made. We did so, only half-heartedly, because when the bell rang, everyone simply left even though Mr Wright was shouting himself hoarse for us to complete our cleaning. Only the really unlucky ones, dragged by the collar of their shirts, were forced to clean up.

I walked to my locker, and was given the shock of my life when Amy suddenly embraced me in a very rough and slightly painful hug. All this, while screaming into my ears. I would have been deaf if the screaming continued for another ten seconds and before I knew it, the paramedics would have arrived in ten minutes.

"OH. MY. GOOOOOOOSH!" She squealed at the top of her voice. She let go of me and started jumping up and down. I didn't need to ask to know that Chris had finally asked her out. "Guess what?" she excitedly asked me, shaking my by the shoulders.

"What?" I said, pretending to be clueless, my body shaking back and forth due to her strong grip, shaking me madly.

"I'm officially Chris's girlfriend!"

I smiled awkwardly and noticed that Tatsuki was rolling her eyes, and Roxanne had her arms crossed over her chest, smiling but shaking her head at the same time. They had obviously already heard Amy's good news.

"Um," I began. "Not to burst your bubble or anything, but this is only your first date with him. Aren't you going to wait, maybe a week, before you call yourself his official girlfriend?"

Amy stopped hopping around. "Oh yeah. You're right. I guess I'm just excited!" Then she promptly started hopping again.

I sighed. Her summer looked like it was going to be an amazing one. Mine, however, was still foggy. Now, I had to prepare myself for the hassling that was going to come. About getting myself a boyfriend, that is. Gaaah! _Doushite doushite doushite_?

We slowly made our way to the school's parking lot to Tatsuki's car. Once inside, Amy seemed to had finally calmed down a notch and stopped chattering at top speed. Tatsuki started the engine and started to drive while Amy and Roxanne chatted about what to do during the summer. I was just sitting quietly in my seat. Everything was fine until Tatsuki suddenly spoke.

"I'm going hiking with my family for the first week of summer," she said.

Amy and Roxanne fell silent. "Why?" Roxanne demanded. "I was planning for you to come surfing with us."

"And what about Jared?" Amy added.

"Oh, Jared's coming along too," Tatsuki answered. "I'm sorry, Rox," Tatsuki apologized. "But I already promised my mom and dad I would go. Besides, it's only one week."

"Okay," Roxanne said, pouting. "Guess it'll just be me, Amy, and Orihime then."

I snapped out of my day dreaming. "Wait, what?" I said quickly. "I can't surf!"

"Which is why I'm _teaching_ you," Roxanne said smoothly. "Duh. What is wrong with you and Tatsuki?" She glared at Tatsuki and me.

"Plus," Amy said to me. "It'll be the perfect opportunity to hook up with someone. Maybe a really hot lifeguard or something."

Oh, great. I knew this was coming. Ahh! _Urusai na_, Amy!

"Yeah!" Roxanne agreed, nodding. "Just make sure he's not hotter than my Brandon."

My three friends cracked up. But I couldn't find the strength in me to laugh. I pressed my lips together to try to cook up an excuse. "My mom got me a summer job at the library," I said.

Amy and Roxanne's faces fell almost at the same time.

"You're working at the library for the _whole_ summer?" Roxanne asked, looking as mournful as though it was _she_ who was going to work at the library.

"Aw... Can't you get out of it?" Amy pleaded.

I shook my head as Tatsuki slowed the car to a halt in front of my house. I opened the car door and got out.

"You're not getting away _that_ easily!" Amy yelled from the car. "I'm calling you when I get home."

"Yeah!" Roxanne agreed. "We're both so not gonna let you ditch us like that."

"_Sayonara_!" I said, walking to my door.

"_Sayonara_!" Amy and Roxanne called together. Tatsuki gave me a two-fingered wave before driving off.

Once inside, I heard my mom talking to someone on the phone. My parents were divorced, so I just lived with mom here in Portland, Texas. We sometimes visit my dad, who lives in Tennessee. But most of the time, it's just mom and me, and we have a pretty quiet house.

Sometimes I wish I could visit Japan again. I really missed speaking my language freely without people asking me the meaning. I missed the _kawaii_ shops, the sushi bar, the vending machines and the smell of fresh Yen notes in the palm of my hands. Well, not so fresh because they have been passed around from one person to another. If I could get the clean notes from the ATM machine, I'd start kissing the Yen notes, giving other an impression that I had gone insane.

I smiled at mom on the way to my room, making sure that she saw that I was home. She smiled distractedly at me and nodded. Then I went up to my room to do some Internet-surfing before dinner.

I tossed my bag onto my bed and had just clicked into my inbox when my phone rang. I didn't even need to look at the name that flashed on the screen to know it was Amy.

"Hello?" I said.

"Orhime, you really gotta get out of that librarian job!" Amy wailed. She spoke as though we were just continuing our conversation from the car. It didn't seem to matter to her that there was a space of twenty minutes between our last conversation and this one.

"I can't," I replied. "My mom already got me the job, and she's not taking 'no' for an answer."

"But you can't spend your entire summer in a stinky ol' library."

I laughed. "The library's not stinky!"

"Well, stinky or not, you're not working there," she said firmly. "Libraries are for old ladies that wear weird glasses."

"Aw, c'mon," I said. "Give those 'old ladies' a break."

I heard Amy give an exasperated sigh on the other end of the line. "You _do_ get Saturdays and Sundays off, right?"

"Yup." The library didn't even open on Sundays. Not that _she_ would know. She hated the library.

"Then can you hang out at the beach with us, then?"

"I'll try," I said.

"Aw, can't you promise?" She whined. I suddenly heard my mom calling me from the living room.

"Listen, Amy," I said urgently. "My mom's calling. I gotta go."

"So will you hang out with us?"

"I said I will try," I said, desperate for her to hang up quick.

"You better!" Then she clicked off.

I hurriedly placed my cellphone on my table before rushing to the living room. "_Chotto matte_, _oka-san_," I said on my way there.

Once there, I saw my mom seated on the sofa. "Orihime-chan," she said. "Your uncle Kenji called me just now with some interesting news. Why don't you sit for a minute?" She patted the seat beside her.

"Sure." I sat myself beside her.

"Kenji-san says that there's a job opening at his sports equipment shop, and he's offering that spot before he opens it to the public. He wants you to know that you'll get paid too."

Oh, great. A job opening.

"Mom," I said slowly. "I don't like summer jobs."

"Aw, c'mon honey," she said, patting my shoulder. "Why don't you try this one?"

I sighed. "I'll think about it."

My mom shrugged her shoulders and got up. "Okay. But if you want that job, you have to tell me fast, alright?"

"_Hai_, _oka-san_."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Ahh. First day of the summer. A nice, hot Saturday.

Hold up! I take back what I've said. Ugh, I hate the sun. Seriously.

I had already promised Amy and Roxanne yesterday that I would hang out with them on the beach today. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Then slipped on my sneakers. Amy was going to be pissed I wasn't wearing a bikini, or flip flops. Oh well.

I brushed my bushy hair, slapped on some sunscreen, and put on a cap. Then I was ready.

"_Oka-san_," I called. "I'm going to be at the beach, okay?"

"Sure," she called back. Her voice came from the kitchen. "What time will you be home?"

"I should be home way before seven. I'm just hanging out with Roxanne and Amy." It was decided last night that today was going to be a girl's day out. So Brandon and Chris weren't going to be coming.

"Okay, have fun."

The beach wasn't very far from my house. Heck, the waters were just behind my house! I walked to the tree that we had agreed to meet under. I recognized the palm tree because it was the only one at the beach with our names carved into it. We wrote;

Tatsuki+Rox+Orihime+Amy = frenz 4evah

I sat under the tree, and waited. Trust Roxanne and Amy to be fashionably late. I was staring at the beach waters, letting my eyes glaze over in boredom when I suddenly felt someone sit beside me. My guts told me it wasn't anybody I knew. I turned to see a tall, blond guy holding out his fist in front of me. "Hey, I'm AJ," he said.

I stared at his fist. What did he want me to do?

"You're supposed to knock your knuckles against mine," he said. "Like this." He picked up my hand, curled it into a fist, then gently knocked his fist against mine. "Beats shaking hands, right?"

I didn't say anything because my brain was having a hard time understanding what was going on. AJ looked like a jock, and it wasn't everyday that a jock would just sit himself beside me and introduce himself. I simply gave him an odd look and leaned a fraction of an inch away from him. Somehow, I didn't trust him.

He didn't seem bothered by my reaction, but simply smiled. "This is the part where you tell me your name," he grinned.

I blinked. "It's Orihime..."

"There, wasn't so hard, was it?"

I gave a small smile. "I'm just waiting for my friends," I told him.

"Not a reason to be anti-social," he said simply.

We both looked up when we heard my name being shouted out loud. "Orihimeeeee!" Came Amy's loud and excited voice. I saw Amy and Roxanne running toward us before collapsing onto the sand nearby. Roxanne, who had her surfboard with her, almost beheaded me with it when she arrived.

"We're so sorry we came late," Roxanne said, hugging me.

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "Did you wait for us long?"

I shrugged. "It's okay."

It was only then that they noticed AJ.

"Who's he?" Amy asked, lowering her voice.

"Um, guys. This is AJ," I said, gesturing at AJ. "And AJ, these are my friends, Amy and Roxanne." My friends gave a little wave when their name was called.

"Do you surf?" Roxanne asked AJ.

"Hell yeah!" He replied, patting the surf board beside him. I had noticed that only now. Gosh, I must have really been day dreaming.

"Wanna go catch some waves?" she asked.

"Let's go!"

And they both took off, leaving Amy and me on the sand.

"He's kinda cute," Amy commented. "Why didn't you tell me that you knew a hottie like that?"

"We just met..."

"Oooh, so he was trying to hook you up?" Amy's voice had risen dramatically. A sure sign that she was excited.

"Definitely not," I said with a small laugh.

"Aw, why are you being so negative?" she whined. "You don't have to be all pessimistic all the time."

"I'm not being pessimistic," I explained calmly. "AJ's not interested in me in that way. Period."

"Why do you say that?"

I sighed. My friends usually needed stuff spelled out for them. "We don't share any common interests. He likes surfing. I don't. He seems to like the sun. I don't. And apart from that, I don't know anything else about him."

Amy chewed her bottom lip as she watched Roxanne and AJ going down to the waters together. "I wonder if she remembers that she has a boyfriend now," she said wonderingly.

I simply shrugged. "I don't know," I said. "I just know that Brandon won't like this."

Amy suddenly handed me a twig. I took it, wondering what she wanted me to do with it, before watching her set up a game of tic-tac-toe in the sand. "You first," she said, once she was done.

We played tic-tac-toe for about half an hour before Roxanne and AJ came back. "Hey Orihime! Wanna learn how to surf?" Roxanne asked.

I smiled but shook my head. "Nah, maybe tomorrow."

Roxanne frowned at me before turning to Amy. "Amy?"

"Yeah, okay," she replied, and I was left sitting under the tree as they headed back to the waters. Hmm, now that I had some alone time. I was really starting to regret not bringing any spare paper along with me. Then I could write or draw something to busy myself. Oh, well. I would only have to suffer this for one more day, and that would be tomorrow. Monday onwards, it would just be me and the nice and quiet library.

I wasn't going to work there, don't get the wrong idea. But since I had already told me friends that I had a summer job there, I may as well hang out there. Besides, it would be a great way to keep out of the hot sun. I would definitely appreciate the air-conditioning system there.

So, for the rest of the day until lunch, I played tic-tac-toe with myself, and doodled on the sand. I drew lots of random stuff. Namely, stick people, skulls, hearts, broken hearts, a skinny tree, and an iPod. I definitely had to laugh when I drew the iPod. Then I decided to write a list of singers and bands that I liked, just to kill the boredom. I wrote Ashlee Simpson, The Faders, Fall Out Boy, Kumi Koda and Buck-tick. Writing down Kumi Koda and Buck-tick made me frown a bit. I really missed Japan.

Boy, that was a short list! I didn't really know a lot of bands or singers (and Amy could easily list more than 20 dance music singers). I only knew the really mainstream ones, and even though I liked quite a few songs that were played on the radio, I didn't know the singer or band. Ugh, so much for killing the boredom.

When my friends were finally ready to eat, we went to the nearby beach-side cafe. It seemed that AJ had grown to really like Roxanne, and was sitting very closely to her, barely giving any sign that he remembered my existence. I wondered how he was going to react when he finds out that Roxanne was already with Brandon. Or maybe she wasn't planning to tell AJ anything. I did a mental shrug and gave the ice in my glass of orange juice a poke. This was just about all the entertainment I had. My friends _did_ shoot me a question or two, but it wasn't often. They mainly chatted about surfing, and I could tell that Amy was just pretending to understand what Roxanne and AJ were talking about. She and I were on the same boat. Nodding and smiling at regular intervals, and laughing whenever it seemed like it was necessary.

It didn't seem to take very long for me to finish my drink, and because my friends were so busy chatting, I ordered a second glass of juice and gave up trying to follow the conversation all together. I simply allowed myself to be hypnotized by the rolling waves of the ocean, careful not to finish my drink too quickly. I took my own sweet time. Only when that second glass was finished did Amy notice the time.

"Hey, guys," she said, glancing up at the clock that hung from the wall. "It's already 2 o'clock. My dad wants me home by four."

"How come?" I asked.

"My mom's working, and my dad has to go to some sort of corporate meeting at 4 o'clock," she replied. "So, I have to babysit my little brother, Max, until my mom gets home."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Roxanne said. "I'm just so tired out. I think I've done enough surfing for today."

"Okay," AJ said. "Why don't we just hang out together until four?"

"Sounds great!" Roxanne replied.

And it was back to more doodling in the sand. When Amy finally decided to abandon her attempt to follow Roxanne and AJ's 'surfer talk', we played tic-tac-toe together. Again.

I sighed inwardly. Maybe my summer wasn't going to be much fun after all.

I was never really that close to Amy or Roxanne. Tatsuki was the only that could more or less understand me, and vice-versa. But since for the first week of summer she was going hiking, I was only going to have a choice of either spending time alone, or hanging out with Roxanne and Amy which was still going to feel like spending time alone.

So on Sunday, I experienced much of the same thing as Saturday. Though Chris and Brandon were considerably nicer to me than AJ (seeing as they have known me for longer), it was still boring.

On the topic of AJ though, Roxanne, who seems keen on making sure that Brandon and AJ never meet, didn't invite AJ to hang out with us today. It's hard to tell whether she's going to try and date two guys at the same time, or ditch one. Roxanne was never a playgirl, but who knows if she may have changed.

Anyways, I came to the beach today, prepared. I brought with me some spare papers and a pencil. So instead or drawing random things on sand with a twig, I drew random things on paper using a pencil, which looked much better. Roxanne still wanted me to teach me how to surf, but I turned down her offer.

Ever since I was a kid, I liked to draw. I drew whatever random object that caught my eye. As a kid, I was known to draw pencils, plants, blades of grass, and even the neighborhood cats (though those ended up looking very retarded). But it soon turned into a real hobby, and after a while, I started to draw quite well.

Then at the age of ten, I started copying anime and manga characters. I love their eyes and their clothes. I would sometimes create my own characters and wished that they existed. I started writing poems at the age of thirteen. Most of them were short, but there were some long ones too. At first, my poems were either extremely simple, or too complicated to understand. But after a while, I started making good poems as well as sketches, and now I keep all of my work in a file.

But to be honest, I have no idea what kind of person I am. I am not a Punk, Lolita, Decora or Goth, and I'm definitely not a preppy sort of person. What with my liking for writing poems and sketching random manga characters. I am truly someone you may label as 'eccentric'. For one thing, I, unlike many other people, don't like the sun. I do not enjoy sunbathing, nor do I enjoy being outdoors when it's hot. I generally prefer a nice and cool environment. Like a cloudy day where I won't get hit by direct sunlight.

I also hate high heels. I can never walk in them and usually trip whenever I'm forced to wear them. But apart from writing poems and sketching, I have no clue as to what I like. I was never much good at sports, and I can't play any musical instrument. Plus, I can't sing. Gosh, I have such a limited range of abilities.

Truly, I was really looking forward to tomorrow. At least then, I wouldn't be spending my time trying to draw while sitting under a coconut tree and sweating like crazy. Yes, I was definitely going to have much more fun sitting in the library. And I don't care that I am probably the only person in the whole of America aged between 13 and 30 to say that, since it's summer and all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Never in my sixteen years of life had I imagined that I would actually look forward to a Monday, and yet here I am smiling to myself now that the weekends have past. I had already informed my mom that I didn't want to work at my uncle's shop, and was looking forward to a solid five-day period of quiet bliss. Oh yeah... Weekdays have never been this much fun.

I left the house at the same time as my mom since she wasn't going to go on leave until the last week of summer, and began my walk to the library. It was only a few blocks away from my house, so I decided walk slowly. But after a while, I changed my mind. The summer heat was already annoying me even though it was only eight in the morning. So I picked up the pace.

Then I suddenly remembered a poem that I had started last night but didn't finish. Maybe I could finish it now since it's still fresh in my mind. I took it out from my file and started to write.

While writing, I could still see where I was going. Though admittedly, not very well. I could negotiate my way on the sidewalk without bumping into anything, but just as I was about to reach the front doors of the library, I suddenly bumped into someone. My mind was brought back to reality with a jerk and I dropped my file together with all the papers inside so that they fluttered down everywhere on the sidewalk.

The person I had bumped into was already helping to pick up my papers. I awkwardly knelt down to gather up the ones that were near me. I noticed that the person was a boy around my age. Couldn't be more than two years older than me. He wore a lot of black with minimal amount of color. He was wearing a tight, black t-shirt with a short sentence typed in white colour Times New Roman font, 'I'm an Otaku freak', tight, low-riding, black jeans, and sneakers. Even his fingernails were painted black. The only thing that wasn't black would be his white belt and neon-colored wristbands. His hair was jet-black, straight and shoulder length.

When he straightened up to hand me my papers, I could see that his few long strands of hair which cut across his nose was jagged and poker-straight. The boy had milky white skin, giving me an impression that he looked like a vampire. His eyes were Emerald green and his lips were thin and dark but his eyebrows were thick. The only thing about him that truly shocked me would be his piercings. The metal hoop that was pierced into the upper part of his ear cartilage didn't scare me, but the two rings on his lower lip did. They reminded me of snake fangs, and unfortunately, I was terrified of snakes!

"Thanks," I said shakily. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up as I took my papers from him. He merely gave a quick nod and walked off. I turned to watch him go, and saw that he was looking at me over his shoulder. Then he looked away and blended in with the light, morning crowd. I was left rooted to the ground with my heart still thumping hard against my ribcage. I never thought it possible for anyone to scare me like that in the space of two seconds, and now I had found one.

After I finally regained use of my leg muscles, I opened the front doors and walked in. The library had two floors. The lower one was for children's picture books and non-fiction books. The upper floor (also the quieter floor), was for all the fictional books. It catered to all of the fictional novels from the stuff by Enid Blyton to The Shopaholic series. I sat at an empty table and did some deep thinking.

I was bitten by a Texas Coral Snake at the age of twelve, and now I was scared half to death by a teenage boy with non-conformist dress sense just because his lip piercings reminded me of that childhood incident. What the hell was wrong with me? What happened in the past belonged in the past. I wasn't supposed to be scared of something that happened to me so many years ago, dammit!

I took out my poem again, and tried to finish it, but I couldn't. Even though my eyes were looking at the words of my poem, my brain didn't register what they meant. No, my brain refused to function properly and I found myself thinking about the boy who helped pick up my stuff just now. It was like someone had permanently stuck his picture in my head so that I would remember his face, and my mind replayed the whole scene over and over again. From the second I walked into him, to the moment where he had looked at me over his shoulder.

I hung my head and banged it lightly on the table, thankful that no one was there to watch me (seeing that only dorks like me hung out in the library during summer). I growled to myself. Surely I wasn't crushing on a boy that dressed like he was going to a funeral?

Somewhere deep inside, I had a feeling I was.

xxxxxxxxxx

Even though I wasn't hanging out with Amy and Roxanne now that it was the weekdays, it still didn't mean that they couldn't call me. After dinner, Roxanne had decided to call me. I picked up my phone. "Hey, Roxanne," I said.

"Hi, Orihime," she replied. "How was it? Working at the library, I mean."

I felt bad lying to my friends now, but I guess it's too late to change. "Uh, it was alright. They just told me to label books and arrange them on the shelf," I answered. "How was _your_ day?" I asked, eager to change the subject.

"Oh, it was fun," she said. "We dug a hole and buried Amy in the sand. Then we built a sand castle over her. It was hilarious. You should have been there."

I laughed. It sure sounded funny to have only Amy's head visible under a mound of sand with a sand castle on top, but I just disliked the sun. Period. So as fun as it all sounded, I wasn't going to be at the beach anytime soon. Nevertheless, I made my voice sound enthusiastic for Roxanne's benefit.

"Did you take any pictures?" I asked.

"Yeah! Definitely took pictures," she said. "Chris had his camera with him and snapped a couple of really awesome photos. I'll show them to you on Saturday or something."

"Sounds good."

"So... as impossible as it may be, did you meet any interesting people at the library?"

I froze. Did I want to tell her about 'him'? My thoughts about that boy were still a mess. I didn't know what to do about it. For one thing, my chances of meeting him again on the streets were slim. And for another, I had no clue what my feelings for him were. Curiosity? Fear? Maybe love? No, cut the last one. It was ridiculous.

I seemed to have paused for a long time because Roxanne suddenly gave a piercing squeal.

"Oooh, tell me. Who was it?"

"I didn't meet anyone interesting at the library," I said slowly, unsure what else to say. Everything in my head was like a tangle of strings. Every time I tried to pull the knots apart, my fingers got caught in all the string and I probably even added a couple more knots. I needed time to untangle and unravel the junk that sitting in my brain, and Roxanne wasn't quite helping.

"Aw, Orihime," Roxanne whined. "You know you're a bad liar. Tell me who your mystery man is!"

In a split-second judgment call, I decided to tell her. She _was_ my friend after all.

"I did meet someone at the front doors," I said, picking my words carefully. "But it's not like I'm crushing on him."

Okay, half-truth. Still better than lying, right?

"Hot or not?" She demanded. I knew her interest had just sky rocketed.

"Well," I said, racking my brain. "He's not fat."

"What kind of info is that?" she snapped. "Details, girl, details." She made clicking noises with her tongue. "Like, is he tall?"

"Uh, sort of," I said, remembering that he was about a whole head taller than me.

"So he's well-built?"

"He's not exactly the big, muscular type. More to lean." I couldn't believe that I was actually talking about him like this.

"Mm, so he has a hot body," she said, sounding like he was something to eat. "Tell me some more."

"Ehhh," I said, raking my fingers through my hair. "His eyes are green."

"Oooh, mysterious... Does he look like those kinds of 'bad boy punks'?"

I shrugged even though she wouldn't be able to see it anyway. "I dunno, I guess maybe..."

"What do you mean 'you guess'?"

"Well, he had this hoop thing on his ear cartilage, and... he also pierced his lower lip with some rings that looked kinda like snake fangs," I said. "I know you're gonna say I'm weird, but Rox, I actually got scared!"

There was silence, then I heard Roxanne's straight-forward voice. "Orihime, you're definitely weird, and here's my advice." There was a pause. "If this guy has piercings that make him look like a freaking snake, stay away from him. I hate snakes. They're gross. And if this guy looks anything like one, he's definitely a freak. Seriously, _do not_ date him."

I couldn't believe it. Roxanne didn't remember that I had told her I was bitten by a snake before. It seems that she clean forgot, and now she couldn't show me any empathy. She found it more of a priority to make sure that I didn't go out with this 'freak'. Jeez!

"Remember the scar I have on my right ankle?" I said loudly, feeling slightly pissed. "Yeah, I told you before that it was from a Texas Coral Snake bite that I got as a kid. I could have died, and I was lucky I didn't. Then the moment I saw his lip piercings, BAM, I just sorta remembered the whole incident and freaked out. I don't know why, I just did."

"Oh," she said abruptly. "I'm sorry. I forgot about that..." Her voice sounded genuinely apologetic.

"Sure."

"Listen, I have to go," she said. "My battery's low."

"Bye," I said.

I flopped onto my bed and lay on my back. No matter how hard I tried to understand my own feelings about this guy, I couldn't decipher the mixture of emotions inside me. Fear and curiosity were all blended together in a confusing mush. I sighed. This knot in my head was definitely not going to untangle without a fight.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

On the next day, when I went to the library again, I got a shock so bad that I nearly scared myself crazy. I had climbed up the stairs to the second floor and was about to find myself a seat when I saw something that made me stare. There was someone sitting at a table, and that someone didn't look like your average geek or nerd or dork. Heck, the way he dressed stood out much more than a typical bookworm, and I recognized this person. It was 'him'. My breath caught in my throat as I was met by this sight.

I debated with myself on what to do. I wasn't going to sit downstairs, that much I knew. If I was going to read anything in this library, it was going to have to be on this floor. I was going to be here for a few hours, so I couldn't just sit the time away. I was going to have to busy myself with something. Sure, I had my poems to write, and manga sketches to draw. But they wouldn't entertain me for four hours.

Finally, I decided to sit somewhere beside him. Not exactly _next_ to him, but I didn't want to sit in front of, or behind him. I was going to sit _parallel_ to him. I, as silently as I could, walked to a bookshelf, picked out a nice book, which was the first book of the Sookie Stackhouse Series, which was Dead Until Dark and sat to his extreme right. I could still see him from the corner of my eye, but it was better than having him directly in my range of sight (or being directly in _his_ range of sight, for that matter).

I opened the book in my hands and tried to read. But after staring at the same spot on the page for two whole minutes, I knew I was too distracted to pay attention to the story. I chewed my bottom lip. Okay, there was no way 'that boy' would hang around the library for no reason. Maybe he liked to read, who was I to judge? He wasn't here to stalk me or anything because that would be stupid. I was just over-thinking all of this because of my scary flashback yesterday. Nothing else.

So just relax and read already! I took out some papers from my file to see if I could write something. Turned out I could. After doing a few stupid doodles on the corner of the page, this was what I wrote;

This all feels like such a dream,

one where I do nothing but fall,

amidst my fear and confusion,

you gave me one look and left,

not a word did you say to me,

not a reason did you give to me,

everything was all a blur.

I don't know why I'm here,

I don't know who you are,

how I'd like to understand this all.

Once I had finished, I re-read my poem. As it happens, I possessed the ability to astonish myself. This poem was more or less everything that was swimming in my head, translated into words. I sighed. What happened to having a nice, quiet summer spent at the library? I come to the library expecting to spend quality time on my own, and yet my own chaotic thoughts have successfully spoiled the peacefulness.

I was about to treat myself to another bang-head-on-the-table-out-of-sheer-frustration session when I felt a prickling sensation at the back of my neck. In slow-motion, I turned my head to the left. The boy, was looking at me. The way he was facing me looked as though he was observing a science experiment. His head was tilted slightly to a side, but his expression was unreadable. Then he turned back to his book, and I turned back to my poem.

If this was a form of flirting, I honestly didn't want to continue. During our weird 'staring match', I had managed to see what book he was reading. It was a book about Adolf Hitler. Hitler's face was on the front cover, and I was curios why a teenage boy like him would have so much interest in Hitler and actually take the time to read about that cruel, heartless freak. I gave a mental shrug. If that was what he wanted to read, that was his freedom of choice.

Only thing that left me with a sore head was the fact that I couldn't read this guy. I was usually very observant, and could more or less judge a person's personality within minutes of meeting that person. This was the first time I had come up blank about someone's personality. 'He' seemed to be very quiet and conservative, but his way of dressing was the complete opposite. It was anything _but_ quiet and conservative. I wasn't trying to say that I had the ability to read people's minds like a psychic but I just couldn't seem to understand a slight thing about him at all. It was as if his thoughts and emotions were encapsulated in a sanctum in his tough as a brick mind.

Today, he was wearing another tight, black tee. But this one had the weirdest print I had ever seen. The words, 'A SORE SIGHT TO THE EYES' were printed on the front, but the font that was used made the words slightly blurred so I felt like I had astigmatism. It really _did_ hurt to read his t-shirt. His hair was the same as yesterday, but he had changed his pants. He was wearing jeans, but they were so tight that they looked rather like girls' jeans. And even though I couldn't see his shoes, I was willing to bet my iPod at home that he was wearing sneakers.

Then there was his eccentric choice of reading material. What sort of person reads about Hitler? I really couldn't understand this guy at all, that was (oddly enough) irritating me.

I stood up to look for another book. The one that I was reading right now was doing a bad job of entertaining me. I roughly shoved the book back onto its shelf before hunting for another. I paced the shelves waiting for something to catch my eye, until I caught sight of something vaguely interesting on the top shelf. The cover was black with a picture of a white feather on it. I couldn't quite see the title, but I knew the first word was 'Fallen'.

I stood on tip-toe and tried to get the book, when a strong arm reached up and plucked it easily from over my head. I spun around and almost banged right into the boy. Again.

His nearness to me was slightly intimidating. I already knew he was tall, but now that he was standing only inches from me, his height was very much noticed. He was a whole head taller than me!

And why did he have to come up to me with such a lack of sound? I didn't hear him coming at all. He silently handed me the book. "Th-thanks," I stuttered. I tried to breathe properly, but my breath got caught in my throat.

"Sure," he replied in a monotonous voice. Then he slowly went back to his seat, his footsteps barely heard. But I had a feeling the whole library could hear the sound of my heart thumping against my ribcage.

And I was probably going to hear his voice replaying in my head for a pretty long time.

xxxxxxxxxx

For the rest of the week, he was always found at the library, reading by himself. Slowly, I got used to his presence (though I made sure I picked books that I could actually reach). Nothing new happened. It was just me and him, and sometimes a few other people sitting at tables reading quietly. I definitely didn't expect what happened on Friday.

His friends visited the library.

I was reading, and he was also busying himself with a book. This time it was a book about The Plague. I was already more or less used to him already, and was able to concentrate on reading my book. So, I didn't notice anything until I heard someone hiss "shut up!"

My head snapped up at the sound. I saw him seated at his table. There were teenagers around his age, all dressed in striking colours.

There was a guy with rebonding jet-black hair that reached his narrow shoulders. He had high cheek bones and was rather skinny. His face had a strong Japanese feature although he was half Caucasian. As he laughed, I could see his polished set of evenly white teeth. He seemed to be fit with giggles. Strange, for a boy to giggle like that.

There was beautiful mocha coloured girl with short blond hair styled in a messy pixie-cut. A few strands had been tied with thin elastics. Bits of hair at the back of her head stuck out in all directions, her fringe was like a typical Japanese styled fringe but a few strands weren't even grown out. She had on a tight, pink Paul Frank t-shirt, and fitting, black jeans.

She was the one who had said 'shut up', just now.

Next to her was a muscular boy with light blue hair spiked up but very messy. He had a nonchalant look which was more to annoyed. He was dressed in a white, sleeveless shirt with unique font black letter printings which spelled out 'DCMA'. He was also wearing a pair of white pants. He was so the opposite of the boy whom I bumped into. I could tell that he was a huge fan of Joel and Benji Madden of Good Charlotte. The way he dressed up was very similar to the way Joel dressed on stage.

The last person, seated next to 'him' had a Mexican feature on his face. He had wavy dark brown hair, with the length up to his chin. He wore a black, short-sleeved shirt with a white tie. I imagined he wore black slacks because jeans wouldn't look nice with a shirt.

The boy with the rebonding hair pressed his hand over his mouth to try and stop his giggles, but his shoulders were still noticeably shaking because of his laughter. The boy with light blue hair shook his disapprovingly, while the one wearing a tie sat with his arms crossed over his chest looking bored.

'He', looked annoyed.

The laughing boy leaned over the table and spoke animatedly to 'him'. It wasn't loud enough for me hear, though. He listened to him speak for a while before suddenly shaking his head.

"No," he said, loud enough for me to hear. "No way. Please, no."

"Aw, Ulquiorra..." the boy whined. This time I could hear him. He threw a quick glance at me, gave me a very fast smile, before turning back to the guy I now knew was named Ulquiorra.

What were talking about? Were they talking about me? Oh boy, it really looked like they were. Why else would the girl even bother to look at me?

I took deep breaths and tried to concentrate on my book. This proved to be quite difficult now that I could hear their conversation.

"Come on, dude.." the guy begged. "I think-"

"No."

When Ulquiorra had said 'no', it wasn't loud, but it was still effective. Whatever it was the boy had been going to say, it wasn't coming out any time soon. I turned to look at the table again and noticed Ulquiorra gripping his book so hard that his hand was shaking. The rest of him looked normal, though. Only his hand showed any sign that he was stressed.

The boy with the light blue hair nudged the girl's arm and jerked his head to a side, telling her that they should leave. The girl seemed to deliberate for a moment before shrugging and getting up. I hastily stared at my book, pretending to be absorbed in it. I heard a few other chairs being moved before listening to footsteps moving away.

Ten minutes later, the sound of another person getting up from his seat reached my ears. I didn't have to turn to see Ulquiorra. He walked in front of my table, shoved his book in a random shelf, before walking, almost soundlessly, past my right to the staircase.

I frowned slightly. He seemed bothered by his friends' visit. I wondered why...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

That night, I couldn't sleep. I mean, really couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned on my bed, unable to get a penny's worth of sleep. My brain was repeatedly hopping from one thing to another. And every one of those 'things' had something to do with Ulquiorra. Either it was the scene where I first banged into him, or the time I first heard his voice when he had helped me get a book from a high shelf. Everything was running through my mind in a chaotic mess.

Finally, I gave up on sleep. I got out of bed and got dressed. I didn't usually sneak out of the house, but tonight my mind was just too cluttered. I needed clear my head. So I pulled on a simple t-shirt, jeans and shoes. I was going to go to the beach to sit on some of the high rocks they had there. So I decided to wear my sports shoes instead of sneakers since they had better grip.

I wanted to go to the beach because it was normally a very relaxing place for me. Sure it was hot and crowded during the day, but it was different at night. The sound of the waves crashing onto the rocks below had always been very soothing. And it was much cooler at night. It was also much darker at night. Unlike the day which always made me squint when I wanted to look at something that was out in the sun.

Before I left my room, I took a few pieces of paper and a pen to write with. Then I carefully snuck out the house, and walked to the beach.

It didn't take me long to get to the beach, and once there, I made my way to the huge rocks at the very end.

Climbing up the rocks helped divert my attention away from my other thoughts. Though the rocks weren't slippery and were quite easy to walk on, I didn't want to make any stupid mistakes and trip. I kept my eyes at my feet, and didn't walk too fast. But once I had found a comfortable place to sit, all my thoughts flooded back in again. I took out my pen from my pocket and started writing.

I wrote for a long time. The particular poem I was writing was slightly longer than my usual ones. The sound of the waves were calming, and the fresh salty air revived my senses. I was so absorbed in my poem, I didn't even hear someone else stepping on the rocks around me. Only when the person was standing directly in front of me did I look up. My muscles instantly tensed when I saw who it was. I had seen his face so many times in the week, and I was sure I even had his voice memorized even though I had heard him speak very little.

It was Ulquiorra.

"Hey," he said. His face was slightly hidden in the dark, but I could just about make out his snake-like lip piercings. His green eyes seemed to be glowing a bit in the darkness. Strange…

"Hi," I replied, relaxing my muscles bit by bit.

"Do you come here often?" he asked.

"That's a cheesy pick-up line," I blurted out before I could stop myself. _KUSOH_!

"It wasn't meant to be a pick-up line," he said smoothly. "I don't normally see people here at night and I was curious."

This time, I gave myself a couple of seconds to think properly before speaking. "I couldn't sleep," I answered. "So I came here to clear my head." And this guy was just doing the exact opposite.

"Oh I see." He stuck his hands into his jeans pockets. "May I sit with you?"

Huh? He was actually asking to sit with me? Why was that?

"It you don't want to be disturbed, it's fine by me," he said.

_BAKA_! I forgot to answer! I never even knew that was possible. Frantically, I made a judgment call.

"No, it's alright," I quickly said. "Have a seat."

He sat himself on a rock opposite me. There was an awkward silence as I doodled on a corner of my paper. I had no idea why he wanted to sit with me. And I had no idea what to say to him.

"You look sad," he said softly. Though he hadn't raised his voice, my reaction was as though he had.

"No, I don't!" I immediately denied.

"Then may I know what's on your mind?" he asked. "Because you seem to be paying more attention to that paper of yours," he nodded at the paper I held in my hands. "than to the beautiful night scenery."

"It's just a poem," I muttered, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. The poem I had written was about my past, and I didn't want a stranger reading about it. It was interesting that instead of writing about my present situation, I had written about my past. It wasn't about my encounter with a snake, it was something else. It was what caused me to become observant. It was something that I wasn't going to reveal to anyone very soon. Even Amy and the others didn't know about this piece of my life.

"May I read it?" Ulquiorra asked.

"No," I replied. "It's a stupid poem. You shouldn't read it."

"How would you know it's stupid?" he asked in a calm voice.

"I wrote it," I said, trying to be as calm as he was. "Of course I know if it sucks."

"You don't want a second opinion?" he asked in a hopeful voice.

I shook my head dismissively.

He tilted his head to a side but said nothing.

Another lapse of awkward silence fell between us again. This time, I broke the silence.

"Why are you talking to me?" I asked. I knew it was a very straight-forward question, but I just had to ask it. This guy was driving me mad. I knew close to nothing about him, and I had no clue why he was bothering to talk to me. He was a closed book to me. So the only way to find out anything would be to just ask. Straight to the point.

His reply threw me off a little.

"I admire your works," he said simply, and gave a shrug.

I frowned slightly, unable to understand him even though he was speaking in normal English. "What do you mean _you admire my works_?" I asked confusedly. "You haven't seen them yet."

"Sure I have," he replied cheerily. I noticed he was grinning. "Remember when you dropped your stuff in front of the library? Well, I saw a few of your sketches when I picked them up for you."

"So you've been stalking me since then?" I said, starting to freak out a bit.

I saw Ulquiorra's body tensed up as he held his silence. "I... wanted to talk to you," he finally said. "but I wasn't sure whether or not I should."

"What's there to be unsure about?" I asked, not getting him at all.

"You look like the kind of people who think of me as a freak," he said slowly.

Now he was starting to piss me off. "Just because I don't dress like you, doesn't mean that I will judge you so harshly like that!" I snapped.

It offended me that he thought I would be such a judgmental person. I try to be observant, but I do not judge.

"You don't think I'm a freak?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Look, I think you dress a little unusual, but apart from that, you seem sane."

Ulquiorra nodded, and I thought how emotionless this guy could get. "Well, I think your drawings are good."

"I think you're wrong," I said quickly.

"I think you should show them to me tomorrow. Here, same time as now."

"I don't think that's going to happen," I said flatly. "I'm going home now." I stuffed my pen back into my pocket and got up to leave. I wanted to leave as fast as I could so that he wouldn't have time to convince me to do anything I didn't want to do.

No such luck.

He quickly got up too. "Would you change your mind if I begged?" he asked innocently.

I stopped walking, and turned back to face him. I breathed a long sigh. "Why do you want to see my drawings so badly?"

He shrugged. "I told you I admired them," he said simply.

"They're not that good."

"I'll be the judge of that."

I couldn't think what else to say. He seemed so intent on looking at my sketches, there wasn't much point in trying to make him see otherwise.

"Alright," I muttered. "I'll show them to you. You want me to be here, same time tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," he said, nodding.

"Okay." I had started walking again when I something suddenly occurred to me. "Oh, I also won't be at the library tomorrow. I'll be with my friends. So, don't look for me there."

"It's okay," he replied. "I'll also be elsewhere with my friends. I'll be with those people you saw at the library today."

"By the way," I said, "where do you school?"

Ulquiorra gave me a long, dull look. "Pearson High."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

"So, Orihime. Spill." This was the first thing that Amy said to me the next day when we went to the beach again. Roxanne was with AJ, and Amy sitting with me under a tree. Well, actually, I was sitting under the tree while Amy was tanning outside the tree's shade.

"Spill what?" I asked her. Was she talking about Ulquiorra? Did Roxanne tell her about him?

Amy grinned wickedly. "Oh you know..." she said coyly. "Mysterious 'snake-boy'?"

I pretended not to understand her even though I knew very well she was talking about Ulquiorra. Roxanne must have told her about his lip piercings. Geez, Roxanne! _DOUSHITE_? "What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Puh-lease..." she drawled. "Rox already told me about that guy you met at the library. So spill. Tell me all about him."

"Why don't you just ask Roxanne?" I said flatly.

Amy pouted. "I _did_, but she couldn't tell me much. She says you were being very secretive about him. Like you had a crush on him or something."

At the mention of the word 'crush', I didn't know what to say. I still hadn't had all my thoughts sorted out yet, and right now Amy wasn't being very helpful. I really looked forward to tomorrow when Tatsuki would be back from her hiking trip.

Amy took my silence as confirmation. "So you have a crush on him?" She asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"No," I said as firmly as I could. "Definitely not."

"I'm not buying it," she said, shaking her head. "You're bad at lying, Orihime. So you may as well just tell me everything." She crossed he arms across her chest and gave a fake, stern look.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll talk about him," I said, wishing I didn't have to. "I assume Rox already told you about his weird piercings?"

She nodded. "Yeah, way freaky."

"Then, what else do you want to know about him?"

"What's his name?" She asked curiously.

"Um, he didn't exactly tell me his name, but I heard his friends talking to him, and one of them said his name."

"So what's his name?" Amy asked, getting impatient.

"Ulquiorra."

"Ulquiorra? Ulquiorra who?'

"I don't know."

"Hmm..." she replied as she pondered on what to ask next. "How did you two meet?"

"I uh... I ran into him outside the library," I said.

"And then?"

"Well, I dropped my stuff onto the floor and he helped pick them up."

"Ohmygod! That's is like, so cliche!" she squealed. I had expected her to go all excited like that. "But still very cute and romantic," she continued. "Go on."

"Then after that, he walked off," I said with a shrug.

"That's it?" Amy said with a grimaced. "Didn't you ever see him again for the whole week?"

I chewed my bottom lip. "I actually saw him many times after that. I saw him at the library everyday for the rest of the week."

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

She pursed her lips. I could tell that practically all her interest in him had just gone down the drain. "Eww, sounds like a stalker. Stay away from him, Ulquiorra," she said seriously. "He's no good for you."

Even though I had no plans to do as she asked, I simply nodded. "Sure," I said.

That night, I went back to the cluster of rocks and sat myself on the same rock as the one I sat on the day before. I propped my chin on my fist and watched the waves out in the distance.

"Hi," a voice suddenly said. I jumped and turned to see that Ulquiorra was directly behind me. He stared neutrally at my reaction. Gosh, this guy is so pH7!

"Not funny," I growled.

He chuckled to himself. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself yesterday," he said, holding out his hand. "My name's Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra Schiffer."

"Sure, don't worry about it," I told him, and shook his hand, which was rather cold. "I'm Inoue Orihime."

"That's a pretty name," he noted, taking is seat opposite me. "How long have you been in the States?"

"Since I was six."

"Oh, I see," he asked softly.

He leaned forward and rested his chin on his hand. "So, did you bring your artwork?"

I nodded. "Yes. Brought my poems too if you want to read them. Here." I handed him my file of poems and sketches.

He opened the file and carefully took out all the papers inside. Then he looked up at me.

"I assume the poem you were writing yesterday isn't here?" he said, his voice all monotonous.

I blinked. He actually remembered? I couldn't think of anything to say, so I instead, dumbly said "Uh...".

I was shocked he remembered about that poem. I didn't particularly mind showing him my poems, only that poem I had written yesterday was about my past and I didn't want a stranger reading it.

He nodded and returned his attention to my stuff. He seemed to want to start with my drawings first because he was skipping my poems. He stared at my manga sketches as though trying to memorize them and whenever he saw a poem, he didn't read and kept going to the next piece of paper until he reached another manga sketch.

When he had finally seen all my sketches, he looked up. "I really like your manga sketches," he said. "This one's my favourite." He held up a drawing of a girl in Japanese high school uniform, seated with her legs to her chest but her back facing the viewer. She was looking at the sun set. It took a long time to shade in the drawing. So it helped pass the time.

"What do you like about it?" I wanted to know.

He shrugged. "Just the fact that it shows how I feel most of the time."

I waited for him to explain.

Ulquiorra bit his lower lip, staring deeply into the drawing and he quickly changed the topic, "So, you're greatly obsessed with anime and manga?"

I wanted to ask him to explain his feelings but I decided to follow on his topic. I wouldn't want to be so pushy about his personal life. It's best to let him keep it secretive and I shouldn't be too concerned about it. I resumed by talking about my favourite anime genre, my favourite manga and everything related to that infamous Japanese pop culture. Speaking about it made me dread about going back to Japan.

"I used to watch a lot of Sailormoon and Cardcaptor Sakura when I was small. I admire their powers and I thought if I could actually have powers and fight off the nemesis. It's something that I always wished back then but as I grew up, I began adventuring other types of anime and manga," I said.

Ulquiorra nodded, blinked, then said, "Well, I'm more to the _shounen_ side, obviously. However I'm fonder in the games than the anime itself. I prefer reading the manga and online RPG."

He passed the sketches back to me and I shoved them inside my file. He seemed to be a very interesting person so far. I wonder what are his interests apart from anime and manga. I doubt he like sports because he would've been tanned if he indulges in them. I decided to ask about why he was very pale but maybe that might offend him. He could be part albino and I would sound like I'm ridiculing him if I were to ask him.

"Have you heard of the Otaku Lounge?" Ulquiorra asked.

I immediately looked at him.

"It's a mini library stocked with good manga. You could also sell off your old manga to them. They even accept American comics too," he resumed, his emerald eyes eyeing me carefully. "However, it's in Chicago, sadly. I've been there once and I thought it was a great store."

I crisscrossed my fingers on my lap and stared at them. My mind was much crisscrossed just like my fingers. Why was I with him? Why was he so interested to look at my sketches and poems? Were they something worthy? Well, one thing's for sure Ulquiorra seemed to be the second person to at least appreciate my artwork and creativity apart from Tatsuki. Amy and Roxanne thought that I should do serious art instead of doing _cartoon_, as how they refer to my artwork. Sometimes their remarks really piss me off because: 1. Anime and cartoon are two different types of animation altogether. 2. Creativity and imagination of one's mind are something unique and shouldn't be condemned without properly analysing it. 3. Friends are supposed to help improve one another, not discourage them just because their ideas and thoughts differ from yours.

"Thanks for telling me about that. I should look it up on the internet," I said neutrally. I was almost running out of topics to talk about but I managed to ask, "Do you speak Japanese?"

Ulquiorra gave me a blank, emotionless look and said, "No, sadly."

From the tone of his voice, I could tell that he might be lying.

I shot him an incredulous look. "Really?"

"Yes," he replied.

My mind was beginning to tangle up into never ending series of knots. I was about to yawn but I tried my best to keep my mind awake. I didn't want to give him an impression that I was bored of this conversation. I was actually rather exhausted, just as usual.

"What time do you plan to sleep?"

He casually replied, "I'm staying up late, playing Ragnarok, my old time fave." 

"Sorry to burst your bubble Ulquiorra, but I'm sort of sleepy. I really would like to continue but I don't seem to be the type who can stay up late," I said, trying to hold myself back from yawning as I stood up.

He stood up and simultaneously slid his hands in the pocket of his pants. "I'm cool with that."

We walked back to the house. Silence fell on us and the only sound that was lucid to our ears was the sound of the sea waves slowly beating against the sands of the beach.

"That's a nice house," Ulquiorra said quietly, almost like a whisper.

For a moment or so, I could feel the shiver running down my spine. He really had the potential vehemence to scare me just like that.

I turned to look at him. "Thanks, goodnight, Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra didn't move a single inch. He stood there, glancing at me with his pale, milky white emotionless face. I wonder what made him so solitaire in terms of his expression. He does have friends but still he is rather solitaire, which was a something I always ponder of. But still, he looked like a strong willed person. The way he managed to persuade me to show him my works.

"Goodnight, Orihime," he said. "I'll see you again one of these days." 

I waved at him before heading to the lawn to enter the house by the backdoor. He walked away and I watched him until he was out of sight.

I tiptoed on the wooden floorboard, opened the door and silently locked it. I took a deep breath and sighed, leaning my back against the door. What was I thinking I was doing? Why did I show him my house and most of all, why do I even bother to meet him in secrecy like that?


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The next day, the house was as silent as a cemetery by the time I woke up. Mom was off to work and I was obviously left alone at home. The sunlight was shining inside my room, blinding my eyes. I pulled the covers over my head but I knew I had to wake up and carry out the chores at home before making my way to the library. My mind began to unfold a series of questions on how was I suppose to keep up with my lie of working at the library to my friends. I could imagine Tatsuki breaking my bones with her karate kicks for deceiving her.

The state of my mind was not recovering. Ulquiorra's monotonous voice kept sounding in my head and the more I tried to shake it off, the more it stayed there. What was wrong with me? ORIHIME! _Doushite_? Orihime, _anatawa honto baka desu_!

The library was rather lonely today. I was hoping to see Ulquiorra but there wasn't a sight of him. He could probably hang out with his friends or maybe he had a family trip. I think this situation is really like a ball of wool strings, the kind of ball that cats indulge rolling it around, their small, warm and furry paws slapping against the woolen ball.

I was about to grab a book on a collection of Emily Dickinson's poems(which I really wanted to borrow) when suddenly my cellphone vibrated in the pocket of my jeans. I pulled the book off the shelf and using my other hand, I took out my cellphone. It was a text message from Tatsuki:

I'm back, Orihime-chan! Wanna hang out later at Apple Shortcake Café?

I replied:

Sure, be there at four?

She sent her last text:

Ok, c ya later!

I slid it back in my pocket and I immediately sat at the table nearest to the bookshelf. I propped the book open in front of me, randomly flipping pages to seek any poem that suited my complicated series of feelings right now. I finally found one(just assuming by reading the title) and I read it carefully, supposedly to _feel_ the words of the poem in my body. It was a good idea I brought my iPod because a great variety of songs could instantly put me to focus on the book that I was reading. Strange to others but it seemed to work for me.

Halfway throughout the poem and my mind was suddenly on Ulquiorra. I empathized him for being so emotionless, so mysterious and very solitaire in his state of mind. But then, he seemed like a cool person but I seriously wanted to know why he was so emotionless- his face which depicts nothing of what he feels except a slight look of dejection and his monotonous deep, low pitched voice which was so flat.

I faced the window and rested my head on the table, moving my left fingers, staring at their random movements, creating abstract shapes which reflected my dazed thoughts.

The song currently playing in my iPod was 'The Sun' by Maroon 5. I couldn't quite fathom the message of the song but the rhythm seemed to suit my mood right now eventhough I know that the message doesn't depict my real situation right now. It was as if my iPod could actually read my mind by playing this track. Well, it was on random mode and so it could just be a possibility.

Flashbacks of Ulquiorra's friends popped up in my mind like an annoying ad on the internet, popping up spontaneously while one's browsing a website. The boy white long black hair, fit with giggles and the rest looking annoyed. The beautiful mocha skinned girl glaring at him. The other two boys passing nonchalant stares at each other. The creepy boy fit with giggles staring at me and finally Ulquiorra said, "No."

"Complicated," I muttered to myself.

At four, I took a bus to Apple Shortcake Café and I was pleased to see Tatsuki dressed in a stripy blue and white tank top with brown Bermuda shorts and plain sneakers. She looks adventurous as ever, the typical Tatsuki Arisawa I've known since elementary school.

"So, how was your camping trip with Jared?" I asked.

Tatsuki's face turned red and she said, "It was fun."

"So, did you invite Amy and Roxanne to meet us here?"

"Ehh…._ie desu_,"

"_Doushite_?"

"Nah, I just thought that just the both of us would do fine. I don't really want to get into the whole girl talk thing. Just remember not to accidentally spill our secret meeting to them, ok?"

"Alright,"

"How much are you being paid at the library?"

The blood flowing in my veins and capillaries suddenly froze for a second. Oh no, how am I suppose to explain this to Tatsuki? I can't keep on lying but I fear if I tell her the truth, she might feel uneasy about it.

I sliced the chocolate cake slowly, and then placed the fork on the plate. I wasn't sure how to overcome this tiny conflict which seemed really humongous to me.

"Are they paying you well?" she asked.

I stared at her seriously and I lowered my voice, "Promise you won't scold me for saying this, ok?"

"Yeah, sure,"

"I am at the library all the time but I'm not exactly working, to be frank with you,"  
"Orihime you lazy bones,"

"You don't get it. I don't work there." 

She sipped her hot chocolate, her eyes shut. The cup was placed on the saucer and she looked at me.

"So?"

I was on the verge of _exploding_, not because I was pissed but because I couldn't continue my deception.

"I lied to you."

Tatsuki's face suddenly turned into a smiled, and then she laughed so bad that she held her stomach. I wondered what was so hilarious about my sentence.

She finally stopped, took a deep breath and said, "I know that already. You don't have to be so frickin' paranoid about it." 

I frowned at her and snapped, "That's not funny, Tatsuki." 

She smiled at me and said, "Eh, _gomene_. I knew you said that just to escape their _torture_."

I finally relaxed. Thank goodness she knew what I felt.

"Anyway, have you made any _otaku_ like us at the library?" she mused.

Oh great, here we go again. I would like to mention about Ulquiorra but I fear I might accidentally spill my meetings with him at the beach, dead in the night. She might ridicule me that I might be dating him. But I felt bad for deceiving again.

"Not really but I seem bump into some guy who was wearing a t-shirt stating that he is an _otaku_," I said. Well, at least I was being frank.

"Ahh, I see," she said and silence fell on us.

We resumed eating our cakes in silence.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Catch!" Amy said as the Frisbee was spinning towards my direction.

I jumped and I held out my hand, reaching out for the spinning Frisbee. The PVC spinning disc rubbed against my hand, friction against my skin.

The four of us were at the beach and this time, Brandon and Jared came along too. Strange that Chris didn't come along because Amy and Chris were already an item.

Roxanne and Brandon were swimming in the sea waters while Tatsuki and Jared challenged each other with a game of volleyball. The two couples look very happy and I feel so great for them.

"Amy, how's Chris?" I asked.

"He's not feeling well recently. He's down with a bit of flu," she replied.

"Hope he gets well soon cuz' he's really missing out the fun we're having right now,"

"I know. I'll invite him one of these days,"  
"That sounds perfect,"

"Oh, hey, wanna go swim? We could _disturb_ the couple,"  
"Alright." 

We both kept the Frisbee and ran to the beach. I dove inside the waters, immersing myself in clear bluish green salt water. I was feeling very cool, so relaxed and so calm.

As I popped up my head from the water, Amy started splashing water at me and I splashed back at her, before diving back into the sea water. We were having a great time at the beach although her previous plan of _disturbing_ the couple just faded away like that.

A few minutes after the splashing and laughing, Amy suddenly stood still. Something wasn't right.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"AJ's here and things don't look so good," said Amy, her face panic stricken.

I stared at where she had her eyes on. Brandon and Roxanne were having an uneasy conversation with AJ. Roxanne looked white in the face, as if she had seen a ghost. Brandon and AJ were talking.

"Oh gosh I knew I should've stopped Roxanne," said Amy as she lowered herself in the water.

"I thought they were just friends?"

"You should've seen the way Roxanne was! She was acting so different,"

"Oh, I see,"

"This sucks, I hope they won't get into a fight,"

"But she's not exactly dating AJ, is she?"

"Not dating but I can tell that she seems quite interested in him and do you realise that Brandon's never invited all the while,"

"Yes, I notice that,"  
"So, it could be a sign,"  
"Maybe we should go talk to her about it later." 

I looked at the three people. Roxanne looked disturbed as AJ walked away. Brandon seemed to be scowling a bit.

Lunch time wasn't getting better. Tatsuki and Jared shared a pizza with a grin on their face, Amy was waiting for her salad, I was sipping my lime sherbet and Roxanne and Brandon seemed to be very quiet all of a sudden. AJ wasn't with us but I could tell that Brandon was frustrated that Roxanne didn't tell him about her new friend AJ.

When my seafood platter arrived, I said, "Hey guys, have some." 

I tried my best to offer everyone especially the couple but they simply grinned and said, "No thanks."

Amy thought it looked too oily for her but Tatsuki and Jared took some of the fries. The situation had suddenly gone tense and I thought that maybe Roxanne should have just told Brandon that she was hanging out with Amy and AJ. I was also getting that sinking feeling that she might like AJ and Brandon at the same time. It was unhealthy but it was hard to fathom why she wanted both Brandon and AJ at the same time.

The whole day wasted just like that. In the end Tatsuki and Jared weren't so zesty and gleeful anymore. They too became silent, observing Roxanne and Brandon.

We bade our goodbyes and I walked home alone. I tried hard not to think about their dilemma and focused on the chores that I was supposed to carry out at home. It seemed like a great idea. I picked up the pace and when by the time I got back, my mother said, "Orihime-chan, your dad wants to speak to you." 

I took the cordless phone from her and spoke to my father. I really missed him and he said that he was coming to town one of these days. He said that he had brought a surprise for me. I felt pleased, knowing that I will be meeting him again after a few months of separation from him.

"How was your day, Orihime-chan?" mom asked.

I replied, "It was great. I think I got tanned too much." I laughed hollowly.

"As long as you got your sunscreen on then it's fine," she said.

I nodded my head and ran back up to my room to have a decent shower. I smelled like sea water and sea weed. I ran the hot water and immersed myself in the bath tub. I felt so relaxed. The high pressure of the hot water exerted on my skin, a slight burning sensation, ripping my skin off but I enjoyed it.

I looked up, staring at the dull white ceiling. White colour, just as white as Ulquiorra Schiffer's skin. I have not seen him for two days and suddenly I felt as if something was not right. Things should be alright because I had been fine alone at the library without his presence. Why was I getting this feeling again? I should be doing good on my own but his absence made me feel as if a piece of puzzle was missing. Oh great now I sound so melodramatic.

My brain suddenly skipped to the book of Emily Dickinson poetry collection on my study desk. I was going to read that to clear my thoughts from everything. I had to unknot all the stupid knots in my mind. The knots of daze. Reading while listening to good music, just like good old times.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

A week had passed and still no sight of Ulquiorra at the library. I wondered if he actually traveled overseas without telling me. Even the sight of his friends couldn't be caught around town. It wasn't difficult to spot them, no doubt but I seriously wonder why he decided not to tell me that he wouldn't be in town for a few days. It was something I couldn't fathom, again. That mysterious boy was like a puzzle code to me. It was hard to decipher or decode his true feelings. It somehow horrified me apart from his scary lip rings but other than that, he seemed perfectly normal.

It was a Sunday and I was hanging out at Uncle Kenji's shop, helping out stocking and restocking things in the store room. It was one of the ways to get my mind off my friends and that boy. I actually felt contented helping out my beloved Uncle Kenji. I haven't spoken to him for awhile and this was a good way to get us communicating with each other just like old times. My mother wasn't at the shop due to the fact that she was grocery shopping for tonight's dinner. Uncle Kenji would be coming over and so mom wanted to cook something special for him and she planned to serve the three of us Asian meals. I felt delighted of the thought of family reunion because I seemed to miss it ever since mom and dad got divorced. Now I was suddenly getting that warm, happy family feeling again.

"How's your summer so far?" Kenji-san asked. I usually prefer to address him in the formal Japanese way.

"It's been fun,"

"Often hang out at the beach?"

"Quite,"

"Ehh, Orihime! I'm not some kind of structural question in exams. Speak up some more,"

"Hehe, _gomenasai_!"

"It's alright. It's been awhile I met you,"

"Exactly. Well this summer is a good excuse for us to have that 'uncle and niece' conversation,"  
"That's right. By the way, have you picked up any sports recently?"

"Hate to say but, no,"  
"Ahh, you haven't changed much, Orihime. When will you ever pick up sports? You should pick up one because it's good for your health especially young people like you." 

I nodded in agreement and rearranged the boxes in the storeroom. I heard the doorbell chiming as the door swung open. I could hear people talking. Customers here I come.

I walked out of the storeroom to see who they were. My eyes widened with surprise at the sight of Ulquiorra's friends but there were only three of them: the pretty mocha coloured girl, the guy with the light blue hair and the giggling boy.

The boy fit with giggles(as I remembered) said, "That racket should be here. If I come all the way here and I don't get that bloody racquet, then my life's over!"

"Shut your _trap_ and start looking for it," said the guy with the light blue hair through his gritted teeth as if he was annoyed.

The blonde girl saw me, then looked away. I approached the boy and asked, "Do you need assistance?"

He stared at me with an odd expression and said, "I'm looking for Prince Tennis racquet." 

I guided him to the racquet area and he seemed pleased. "Thanks." 

I backed off from him. The other two teenagers were staring dully at the running shoes. The both of them looked very athletic; especially the boy and I wondered how many hours do they spend their time working out at the gym.

The jet-black haired boy headed to the counter with the racquet. I went over to the cashier and took the exact change from him and placed the racquet in a decent plastic bag before he left with the other two teenagers. I wanted to ask him where Ulquiorra was but I held back. It would seem too obvious that I wanted to speak to him.

The three of them left the store and by the time Kenji-san got out of the storeroom, they had left.

"So, what did they purchase?" he enquired.

"A Prince Tennis racquet," I replied.

Kenji-san scratched his chin and said, "Which one, exactly?"

I folded my arms and said, "I'm not sure which model but it looks rather new."

My uncle ruffled my hair and said, "It's alright."

The whole day at the shop was rather silent except for our voices. The other staff(they are countable, three other staff plus the both of us) just sat around at the shop, waiting for customers to enter. At least I had my quality time with Kenji-san. He told me a wide range of stories and I admit they are quite hilarious and I just laughed, feeling gleeful again. Somehow I wish Kenji-san lives around my neighbourhood. Mom could speak to her brother anytime she wants.

Later that night, I was completely exhausted from helping out at the store, cleaning up the dishes and taking out the trash. I was reading the book of Emily Dickinson's poems while listening to Buck-tick. I felt so contented, so encapsulated in her beautiful words when suddenly my cellphone vibrated, then rang. I left the phone vibrating on the table for another few seconds.

I looked at the caller ID and it was Tatsuki. I unplugged the earphones and pressed the 'answer' button.

"_Moshi-moshi_!" said a zesty voice.

"_Hai_, _hai_," I replied.

"What are you up to?"

"Trying to unwind myself before getting to bed,"

"What? It's only ten o' clock!"

"I did a lot today. I helped out Kenji-san,"

"Ohh…I see. Anyway, I called just to verify something,"

"verify?"

"Yes, to verify something,"

"What is it?"

"Did you actually encounter some guy with freaky lip rings?"

"Umm….Why do you ask?"

"Because Amy and Rox told me that you're actually hiding something,"

"It's the same story I told you that day. I just bumped into him and that's it,"

"Oh, ok. I have no clue at all why they're so worked up on it. I tried telling them that it was just a coincidence but they denied,"

"That's what I've been trying to do,"

"Hey, at least he didn't harm you. That's the bright side."

This topic had to be skipped immediately. Spontaneously, I thought of Roxanne and I decided to talk about her dilemma with AJ and Brandon, if she actually did have an issue about it.

"Tatsuki, did you notice that Brandon and Roxanne were silent that day at the beach?"

It took a few seconds for Tatsuki to reply.

"Oh, oh yeah. I thought something wasn't right. It was as if something was in their way. But when I was playing volleyball with Jared, I did notice some guy talking to them. Roxanne looked uncomfortable though. I wonder why. Do you have any clue?"

"Well, I think Brandon might be pissed. You weren't around that time. It's rather a long story though."

"Hmmm…."

I wasn't much of a gossip queen but it was better than dwelling on about Ulquiorra. I had to recap and tell Tatsuki the whole story when she was off camping. Tatsuki listened attentively as I tried hard not to elaborate the facts. I felt sorry for Roxanne but she should just come clean about AJ if she actually likes him. It might shatter Brandon's heart into millions of pieces but at least she was being frank. But somehow I don't see a lucid reason why she should leave Brandon. He had been very kind to her and she should be lucky to have a boyfriend like him.

"I seriously hope that she knows what she's doing," said Tatsuki seriously.

"I know," I said as I yawned.

We spoke a bit more on our plans for the next few days and finally my mind was too tired to think of anything. I switched off the iPod, turned off the lights and crept on my bed, pulling the sheets over my body and I shut my eyes, drifting off….

My eyelids felt very heavy all of a sudden. I forced myself to open my eyes and I found myself running in a meadow of sunflowers. It was a very sunny day, so bright and so shiny that I thought the golden rays would blind my eyes for good but I kept on running as fast as I could.

The winds blew roughly against my face, slapping my soft cheeks and I grinned, laughing happily as if I was free from all the weight that used to pull me down. I ran, my speed gradually increasing until I saw a sight of a man(whose back was facing me) dressed in a black t-shirt and skinny dark purple pants. From the hairdo, I could tell that it was someone ditto. Curiosity crept over my mind as I emerged the man.

I was about to call out to him when suddenly he turned back and I had a shock of my life! I couldn't believe something so ugly and horrendous exist in this life! It was actually Ulquiorra but he looked awful because his face was scaly like a serpent's and his emerald green eyes were shaped like a serpent. He raised his jaw, revealing his split tongue and his sharp row of fangs. I wanted to scream but no voice came out of my dry throat.

I backed away from him but I tripped over something and I was petrified looking at him. His whole body suddenly evolved into a giant basilisk in just a flash and I shut my eyes, praying for a miracle until-

BAM! I woke up with my heart pounding so hard, beating vigorously against my chest as if it was about to leap out of my chest. I sat up and looked around in the darkness. Geez, it was just a stupid nightmare! I could still hear Kenji-san having a conversation with my mom. I inhaled deeply before exhaling. I slapped my forehead, and then got out of bed to walk down the stairs to the kitchen to consume a glass of milk.

The both of them were so engrossed in their topic that they didn't even notice that I actually passed the living room to get to the kitchen. I poured a carton of milk into my favourite glass and immediately drank it. I was feeling so thirsty but the feeling of fear hadn't evicted my mind yet.

I could feel my eyes watering and I broke down, a small teardrop trickling down my cheek. I couldn't believe I had such a nightmare like that. I thought I had gotten over my fear of that particular reptile species but no I had not. Why did he have to be the serpent? Of all the people, why Ulquiorra?

xxxxxxxxxx

I hadn't had much sleep last night. It turns out that when I woke up; it was six in the morning. I was rather afraid of going back to sleep and in the end I slept about four to five hours approximately and to kill the time, I went online to watch the latest anime live from Japan. I managed to curb my boredom, at least. The state of mind calmed down a little as I tried my best to focus on the computer screen. It really helped to clear my thoughts from the disastrous dream.

While waiting for the video to buffer, I checked my inbox. There were quite a number of e-mails from various mailing lists that I have subscribed, unread in the inbox. Apart from that there was also an e-mail from my dad. I forced a smile on my face as I indulged myself in the digital world. For once, I was being a complete computer geek.

I grinned as I read my father's e-mail. I replied:

Hey dad, how are you? Sorry for the late reply. I'm doing fine lately. I've been hanging around at the library these days. Once awhile I would be at the beach with my friends. I'm getting much tanned right now and I don't seem to recognise myself lately. LOL. So, when are you coming to town? By the way, I can't wait for the surprise. What is it? I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. See you soon…

XOXO,

Orihime-chan.

I clicked send and waited for the respond. I sighed and rested my head against the chair, waiting for the page load.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Orihime-chan!" I heard my mom calling from the kitchen. "Your friends are waiting for you!"

"COMING!" I yelled back as I secured my hair with a pair of green chopsticks. I looked at the Japanese girl in the mirror, dressed in plain spaghetti strapped dress. The sight of her dressed very similar to her mother made me grin and she too, smiled back at me. I was going to look my best today because I was heading off to the mall with the girls(except Amy because she had her date with Chris) and the three of us agreed to wear dresses(Tatsuki refused at first but she gave in) and called it a day out just for the ladies.

I grabbed my cotton sweater and ran downstairs. I couldn't wait to watch Just My Luck movie with the girls. A romantic comedy genre movie with an interesting plot about a damn lucky girl who lost her luck- became miserable but met a caring hot guy in the way to render her luck.

"Bye mom! I'll be back by dinner!" I said as I ran passed the door.

The girls were waving at me but Roxanne still had that troubled expression written across her pretty face. I was very sure that it had to be the AJ and Brandon dilemma.

I pretended not to know anything about her issue throughout the trip and the three of us spent our time doing our nails after having a scrumptious Chinese lunch and just being like any joyful teenage girl during summer. I decided to paint my nails blood red(Roxanne thought I had gone mad but Tatsuki seemed to like the colour), Tatsuki coloured black and Roxanne applied colourful _faux_ nails with shiny glitter glued on them. She really looked like a diva and she had to sacrifice a few weeks of not surfing just to keep her faux nails on. We spent approximately an hour getting our nails done before heading off to the cinema to enjoy an hour and a half watching a romantic comedy flick.

I have never felt so excited hanging out with the girls like this before! Roxanne, being the one with the camera most of the time during our outings, snapped away of almost what we were doing. We made silly faces, foolishly posed- imitating our favourite actors and actresses. This is something that I would treasure so much in my heart while I am a teenager. Things would be completely different when I am done with high school.

Somehow I was rather surprised to bump into my father at the mall. He looked better than ever- dressed casually in a white polo t-shirt and dark pants. He was more muscular than before and he seemed to look taller than before. Maybe it was because he had shed off some weight that made him look taller. As for my friends, they too were surprised to see him and in the end, I hung out with my dad after they had left. I phoned mom(she was rather surprise) to alert her that I was coming home with my dad.

"My Orihime-chan. You have already bloomed into a beautiful young woman," dad said with a wide grin.

I could feel my cheeks turning slightly red. I nodded my head and stared down at the bowl of ice-cream on the table.

We were sharing a bowl of caramel flavoured ice-cream at Haagen Dazs. The ice-cream was simply superb. I could feel the caramel melting against my inner cheeks, the coldness of the liquid cooling my mouth. I felt like I was on cloud nine and I wished I could bring home a tub of Haagen Dazs back home to share this heavenly dessert with mom. It was something that was meant to be shared with your loved ones. So, dad bought a 20 0z. of what we were having for mom. I felt really pleased but I was also curious of what was my dad's surprise for me.

"Hey dad, when do you actually plan to meet me?" I asked as I strapped the seatbelt.

He scratched his chin and replied, "The day after tomorrow, actually. I did reply your e-mail last night. But oh well I am going to be here for a day or two because I will be heading to Arkansas to go camping with my friends. I was thinking if you wanted to come along but as far as I could remember, you aren't exactly the sporty type and so I thought of asking you during my visit here."

"Oh, I see. So, where are you actually sleeping while you're here?" I enquired.

"I'm accommodating at a local motel. Don't worry about me, Orihime. I've got it all sorted out," dad said.

My face fell. I was hoping he would actually stayed at my place for at least one night but then I made a stupid mistake of not inviting him to stay over at my house even if mom would agree to allow him to stay for a night. But still, I had no idea that he actually planned to stay in this town for a few days.

My mother looked quite glad that my dad sent me home just in time for dinner. She was thankful when he gave her the tub of ice-cream. I was left alone with him in the living room- a daughter and dad moment that I miss. Mom was cleaning up the dishes and I offered to help out but she told me off and that I should entertain dad. Dad did offer to clean up the dishes together but mom was rather stubborn and told us to watch tv in the living room.

Dad told me a lot of stories about his work, his life and I was right about him losing weight. He had been working out a lot at the gym, spending his Sundays with his friends playing a game of either squash or tennis. No wonder he looked very good. He had also persuaded that I should pick up at least one sport and spend an hour on it once a week. Oh great, he sounded like Kenji-san at that part but maybe it was time I became more of an outdoor person instead of being too much of an indoor person. It was true because exercising does release stress and calms the mind.

"So, I shall pick you up tomorrow around 8 a.m. tomorrow, I guess," said dad. He was planning to take me out for a picnic at a lake.

"Sure, but oh wait! Is it alright if you could drop me off at the library before sending me back home? I really need to return a book," I said.

He grinned and ruffled my hair. "Sure, sweetheart. That's not a tough task."

"Thanks for coming 'round. And thanks for the ice-cream too," mom said with a weak smile.

"Nah, not a problem. Your dinner's really good. You still deserve to be crowned the best Asian cook. I shall come around tomorrow to pick her up," said dad and he kissed the top of my head. I would usually feel a bit too old to be kissed but this time I stayed silent and smiled.

"_Sayonara_," said dad.

"_Sayonara_," mom and I said simultaneously.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next day, I woke up around six in the morning and I took almost half an hour searching for my camera. I had to get a photograph or two of me and my dad. I was going to make a scrapbook of almost everything that happens in this summer. I had to treasure good memories for me to reminiscent later on in life.

The picnic was really pleasant. I brought home made sandwiches, cakes, biscuits and cookies. Dad brought candies and mostly cans of drinks and potato chips. We sat under an oak tree, directly facing the lake. The scene was really beautiful and I really enjoyed it. I couldn't believe that I had been so happy for two days and I wished that dad hadn't divorce mom. It was really hard for me to fathom why they divorced in the first place because they didn't actually explain to me in black and white but I wouldn't even understand back then as a little girl.

We continued our stories and this time I had a lot to tell him about my school life and my friends. It was so different hanging out with him from with the girls. I could freely tell him almost everything. He would nod his head in agreement and voice out his opinion once awhile.

As for the surprise that I had been anxiously looking forward to, had finally arrived. He bought a Japanese version of Memoirs of A Geisha novel. He knew that I loved the movie and so he bought the novel due to the undeniable fact that I love to read novels and book. I was speechless but grateful at the same time.

"I'll be back in a jiffy!" I said as I ran up the stairs of the library, almost bumping into a few people who were walking down the stairs.

I ran passed the doors and slowed down my pace. I walked to the counter and I didn't realise that I was actually queuing up behind someone familiar until that person turned around. The person whom I meant was none other than Ulquiorra. He seemed to have removed his lip rings. He looked as emotionless as ever. When will this guy ever smile or frown or express any other feelings apart from being so neutrally blank like that?

"Hello, Orihime," he said, his dull tone almost like a whisper. Now I wonder was he ever going to talk like this for the rest of his life.

"Hi," I replied neutrally.

We returned the books and I was about to walk away when he said, "How are you?"

"Good," I replied hesitantly, trying to get away from him but at the same time I wanted to stay and ask him where he had disappeared for a week.

I stepped a feet away from him.

"You didn't notice anything different around here recently, did you?"

"Umm…I think so,"

"Well, don't you want to ask me?"

"Oh yeah, where have you been recently?"

That was odd. It was as if he purposely wanted me to ask him where he had been for the past week. Strange boy he is but it didn't seem to bother me much.

He looked away, then back to me.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you that I left town because my family had planned a trip at the eleventh hour. I was rather surprised but it was an exciting trip."

I nodded. "Where to?"

"Venice," he said nonchalantly.

"Wow, that's awesome! Hey umm, I really have to go because my dad's waiting outside for me in his vehicle and I don't want to keep him waiting for too long," I said.

Ulquiorra nodded- his face blank with expression as usual.

"I'll be here tomorrow around ten. I bought some souvenir from Venice and one of them's for you," he said monotonously.

I seriously felt deadpanned.

"I really got to go, bye," I said and I walked away from him, feeling odd. He seemed to be very friendly today. And I meant very friendly in an unusual manner. I wonder if his friends told him about their encounter with me at Kenji-san's shop.

I entered the vehicle and my dad asked, "You look worried."

I instantly shook my head and replied, "Nothing's wrong."

Lying, obviously. I wasn't worried but rather surprised and a string of tangled up emotions began to ball up in my mind again. What was up with that guy? It was as if he had some kind of unseen force of impact on my emotions.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Dad left town the next day. I was rather sad but at least I did get to hang out with him. Mom invited him to come back whenever he was free and I felt more relieved. Now I had to wait for Christmas to see him again. I could have said that I wanted to join him for the camping trip but I wouldn't want to interrupt his quality time with his friends and also I have to meet Ulquiorra today at the library.

Mom was still asleep and I had to write a note to alert her that I was leaving for the library. I did tell her last night but I just wanted to make sure. So, I grabbed a marker off the kitchen counter and wrote a short note on the 4X4 white papers and stuck them on the fridge with a magnet. White, again. Just like his skin. Ulquiorra Schiffer. Why do you have such milky white skin? It puzzles me but at least you look normal with that tone of colour covering every inch of your body- hiding your muscles, tendons, bones, veins, capillaries.

For breakfast, I managed to chow down a bowl of Fruity Loops and a glass of orange juice before heading to the library. I was certain that today's meeting with Ulquiorra would be as confusing as ever, silent and consists of eye glazing. He was never that talkative but he does have interesting topics about his interests that get me really attentive to him. But I was still determined to know why he was so silent and so monotonous compared to his friends. It isn't a rare occurrence to have a silent member in a group of friends but this guy is different. I have never seen him smile, laugh or get angry. I'm not trying to tease him for being similar to a robot but it's because he seems so emotionless that it would make others feel like something isn't right with him.

There weren't many people by the time I got to the library. It was just as silent as a graveyard, cemetery, burial ground, necropolis or whatever that word is. I loved the silence because it seems to calm my mind and right now I was feeling very tranquil. I made my way to the upper section of the library and decided to read a book about witches and wizards. I would like to find a book on Asian ghosts but this was the best book I managed to get off of the shelf.

I turned around and I nearly gasped out loud. Ulquiorra was directly behind me. Parallel to my position, which was opposite the shelf of books. He was dressed in a black button up blouse with a pair of black slacks and white coloured three studded belt. His lip rings were still there and I could feel my heart thumping really fast and this time I could feel my heart beating at a very high frequency and amplitude that I thought I was getting a heart attack. This guy should stop emerging so sudden like that. I wonder what the consequence would be if I was replaced with an old man right now. He'd probably collapse at the spot.

Bravely, I told him off in a polite manner, "Please, do not do that again."

Most boys would tease me and go like, "OH MY GOD! You should have seen how your face looks like in the mirror!" but he simply nodded and said, "I was about to greet you but you turned around real quick. I'm sorry if I seem to scare you by approaching so sudden like that."

Suddenly, I felt insulted. I wasn't scared of him. Never afraid of him. No feeling of fear of him. It's just that, that stupid nightmare made me feel insecure around him.

"I wasn't scared, just surprised!" I snapped at him without taking into consideration if I was being rude.

Ulquiorra did not respond or reply or blink. He just stared at me. I immediately apologised.

He looked elsewhere and said, "It's fine."

I started to walk away from him and he trailed me. Apparently he arrived here earlier than me. He chose a table not far from the window and I sat there with him. My legs were suddenly beginning to feel jelloid as I stared at him opposite me. I don't know why I was feeling so insecure again in front of him. What was it with this guy? I know he is just an ordinary human but I have never felt so insecure like this in my life. I reiterate again, I do not feel fear seeing him. I feel confused and insecure around him and the same goes even when I'm just thinking about him. Thinking about him almost whenever my mind is not on anything important. Is this what people feel when they are…..in love? It sounds rather ridiculous because I have never felt love throughout high school and it's hard for me to decide if this is love that I'm feeling or is it just a mere crush, a normal feeling of being attracted to the opposite sex. I have never been this nervous with other guys and this is my first time. Am I really into this guy?

"You seem very quiet today," he said, breaking the silence with his flat voice, almost like a whisper.

I could feel my cheeks reddening. I was too deep in my thoughts that I nearly forgotten that he was sitting opposite me.

"Sorry, I was just too deep in my thoughts."

He crisscrossed his fingers and said, "Oh, I see. Is it a serious family matter?"

I shook my head. I wanted to change the topic but I seemed so uncomfortable today. It was as if I was taking an important History test but no! Is it because…?

"I'm sorry again. I didn't mean to stand behind you like that. I just-" he said but I cut him off, "I know you're silent and solitary most of the times. So you get used to not making loud noises."

_Baka_! I blabbed too much again. I hope it didn't hurt him too deep.

Ulquiorra's eyes darted across the room, then back to me. His emerald eyes seemed emotionless but I could feel that he was slightly offended by what I've said.

"I'm sorry," I said as I looked down at the book propped on the table. I should just shut up and read the book.

"You really are a sensitive person. You care about others' feelings although you wish to speak out your mind, which sometimes might offend them. You are a caring person as I see it," he said flatly.

I looked up at him. His eyes stared down at me like a security camera.

"I've spoken too much. I-I-I-," I stammered.

He held up a hand. "That's ok. At least you're being back to your normal self."

Then, silence fell on us. It was a rather tensed situation but it was better than my blabbering. I wish I didn't say those things but I really hate to admit that I was rather shocked to see him _creeping_ up behind me like that ever since I got that horrible nightmare.

"Anyway, I brought the gift for you," he whispered.

I looked up at him.

"I did wrap it up. So, you'll have to guess the content of the box," he added as he passed a box wrapped in dark blue coloured wrapping paper.

I stared at it and wondered what was inside it. I wanted to know why he was so interested to give it to me. I should've thought of that.

"Ulquiorra, actually, I….Are you serious about it?" I asked, my fingers feeling rather shaky.

"Well, I did say I had a gift for you that day, didn't I? And this it,"

"But, it's rather expensive and we don't really know each other well,"

"It doesn't matter,"

"Do your parents know about me?"

"I did tell them that I wanted to buy some gifts for my friends,"

"Are you sure?"

"I said I was going to give it to you." 

He seemed a bit stubborn but I guess I should just accept it. I took the box and said, "Thanks, Ulquiorra." 

He nodded and said, "You're welcome, Orihime." 

I shook the box a bit. I couldn't fathom what was inside the box. It's best I bring it back home and open the mysterious gift in my own private room, privacy all to myself.

"My friends told me that you were working at some sports shop, weren't you?" he asked softly.

"Well, not really. I was just helping out my uncle, that's all,"

"I see. Did you have a great day that day?"

"I enjoy being with my uncle. So, how was your trip to Venice?"

I wanted to know more about his adventure there. I would feel sorry for him to bore him with my boring stories. Like I said, my life wasn't that exciting.

"I was interested in the gondolas. I like the design and the sculpture of them. I did get to go on it, just circling around the town. It was pleasant observing the locals carrying out everyday routines and seeing curious tourists taking photos of everything," he said monotonously. "What about you?"

I laughed a bit. "You missed nothing. I just hung out with my friends and that's all. My dad came around town and I had a great time having picnic with him."

He raised an eyebrow. "He doesn't live with you?"

I shook my head. "My parents are divorced. He comes around during summer and festive seasons. I wish they were still together."

"It's just you and your mother?"

"Yes,"

"You don't have other siblings?"

"I'm just the only child,"

"Sorry if I sound like I'm rushing you into this but…..Have you been drawing or writing anything lately? I'd like to see if you don't mind,"  
"I think…Wait, I do have a few Sailormoon sketches. I'm not that proud of them but it's rather decent,"

"Your art is good. I'd like to see it,"

"Alright, then." 

We paused. I wondered about lunch time. Should I grab Chinese takeaway or just a hotdog? 

"What are you going to have for lunch, Orihime?" he asked.

Speak of the devil.

"I have no idea," I replied frankly.

"Do you…mind if I could have lunch with you?" he asked, his tone dull as ever.

All of a sudden, I could feel my heart skip a beat. What was wrong with me? He just wanted to know if I allow him to have lunch together with me! Of course I wouldn't mind but I was suddenly getting the butterflies in my stomach. Relax, Orihime! He's just being friendly. What could go wrong? But at the back of my mind, I was feeling something else. Do I actually have a crush on him?

"Hey, yeah, sure," I said and I quickly got back to my book.

That afternoon, we made our way to a local fast food outlet. There weren't many varieties around the library area and it is rather miserable. But at least I do have a friend to eat with. I wouldn't feel so lonely eating lunch anymore. Mom would be having lunch with her colleagues.

We ordered two large sized fries, ice-creams(vanilla for me and chocolate for him), nuggets and onion rings. Talk about how unhealthy our meal was. Amy would've freaked out seeing me eating like this. I wasn't so worried about that. I was more paranoid about her and Roxanne seeing me eating out with him. Tatsuki would be incredulous too but she wouldn't freak out. I knew my friends too well but somehow our differences made me feel like we're actually a bunch of strangers going out together rather than being called a group of friends. I reiterate again, the only person who I can get along well the most is Tatsuki and it wasn't because we are of the same race or speak the same mother tongue. It was just that, Amy and Roxanne were just different from me. I fear that if any of my friends passed by this outlet, they would think that I was dating this guy. No way! I mean, we just met and it can't be called a date because I don't think people date at fast food outlets, do they?

I dipped my fry in my ice-cream, twirling it and coiling the ice-cream around the stick. I popped it into mouth. The ice-cream melted in my mouth and I felt so relaxed, so calm, tranquil.

Ulquiorra observed me as if I was his experimental subject. I narrowed my eyebrows on him.

Annoyed, I said, "It's normal for people to dip fries in their ice-creams."

He sat up properly and folded his arms. "I'd never thought….Ahh forget it!"

I wanted to know. "Never thought what?"

"You'd be so passionate about the art of dipping fries in ice-cream," he said, his eyes rolling over elsewhere.

Ehh, he seemed to be acting a little odd today. He hardly stammers like this before. I wondered why. It was as if something was holding him back. It was as if there was something that he wanted to talk or comment about but he kept it to himself.

"Hey, umm Ulquiorra?" I asked shyly.

"Yes?" he said.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked slowly.

He nodded. "What is it?"

"I know this might be very personal but….why do you…" I asked as I looked away from him and I my jaws dropped at the sight of Amy and Chris, hand in hand and walking together in a lovely manner. They were getting closer and I had to disappear for a moment or two.

I quickly stood up and said, "Hold on, I gotta get some more sauce." Ulquiorra stared at me incredulously. I faced my back to them and made my way to the sauce dispenser counter. I stared down at the little plastic saucers that holds the sauce in place- lowering the degree of my head so that my orangey brownish hair will cover a portion of my face.

A few seconds have passed and I looked up slowly. They were gone. The feeling of panic left my body instantly and I had no choice but to dispense some ketchup and mustard before heading back to the table.

The saucers were about to be placed on the table when Ulquiorra made a startling statement, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

I glanced at him. "Oh, it's nothing." 

"You were actually hiding from someone, weren't you?" he asked in his infamous monotonous voice.

How does he know that? Was my action so obvious that it can be easily read by others? Or could it be that the word _fea_r was written lucidly across my face.

I laughed a bit to divert his attention. "No, I really wanted more mustard."

"You're not so much of a liar, are you?" he asked seriously.

I could suddenly feel my blood freezing in my veins and capillaries. It was as if I was being interrogated. That would really spoil the fun. But I was lying no doubt. Still, I wished he didn't have to say it out loud.

"An enemy of yours?" he asked.

I fidgeted a bit. "No. It's just that…..I didn't want her to see me."

Ulquiorra folded his arms to his chest. "I'm very sure it had something to do with me?"

I nervously said, "It's not about you. It's just that she is really hyped about me getting a boyfriend and I didn't want her to see me with you. I know we're not dating or anything but I just don't want her to get the wrong impression."

His face, which looked slightly tensed was back to being emotionless. "Oh, I see."

When we were done with our lunch, I was going back to the library but Ulquiorra had plans with his friends. They were going to a jamming studio and he invited me but I politely refused because I felt rather uncomfortable being around new group of people. Besides, I needed a time out at the library and to have my private thoughts on whether to come clean to my friends that I am his friend or to keep this friendship a secret.

"Orihime," Ulquiorra said.

"Yes?" I enquired.

He seemed a bit uncomfortable. "Do you like historical things?"

I nodded. Frankly, I love Geography and History subject in school.

"I was just wondering if you are free these weekends because there's an interesting once in a lifetime exhibition on the rare collection of World War 2 weapons and artifacts ," he said in a very unconfident manner.

I grinned. "That sounds interesting. Is it at the local museum?"

"Yes, it is,"  
"What time do you want me to be there?"

"The exhibition starts at nine and ends at seven,"

"Are your friends coming along?"

"No. All of them aren't interested in these things. You could invite your friends along if they like,"

"Alright. I'll try to be there." 

He paused, thinking while staring at me. "I should give you my number just in case if there's a change of plan."

Strangely, I could feel my cheeks reddening a bit. I nodded and took out my cellphone. He keyed in the numbers in my cellphone. I miss called him and he immediately saved my number in his cellphone. Now my handset is something that my friends shouldn't look at. His number is recorded there.

"Text me when you get your mother's permission, Orihime," he said.

"Yes, I will," I replied.

Ulquiorra stared at me for one last time. His emerald eyes penetrating deep into my eyes like a laser beam. Those eyes seemed rather empty and cold but I knew that he does hide his expression in them but I couldn't figure it out right now. My mind was back to confusion and daze.

"See you another time, Orihime," he said.

"Have fun with your friends, Ulquiorra," I said as I waved at him, who was walking away.

I stared at him until he was out of sight. The present was still in my hands. I was too curious to know the content of the box. I was so absorbed in that present during the evening at home that I didn't even notice that mom had return home with Kenji-san. I grinned at the sight of a small booklet of Renaissance painting collection. The book looks rather expensive and antique but I thought it is something very rare and worth the money. I felt a pang of guilt building up in me. He bought an expensive book for me and I don't have anything for him in return. I should probably give him a Christmas present. I sent him a text message that I really liked the gift but he didn't reply. Most probably he hadn't inserted credit in his cellphone account.

I was clamoured in my thoughts about my friends and Ulquiorra. My head was spinning and I felt dizzy. Why was it that I was frequently thinking about Ulquiorra more than anything else? I do like the fact that he seems friendly and polite but his snake bites really scare me. I think I'm denying my feelings…..I think….I do have a crush on him.

xxxxxxxxxx

The next day, I as busy cleaning up the house when mom's away. I was all alone and I was unsure if mom would allow me to go off with Ulquiorra. I didn't tell her that he is my new friend and I was very certain that she wouldn't allow me to simply go off with him alone like that.

The house phone rang. I was at the lawn, raking the dried leaves. I wondered who was calling. I ran back to the house and picked up the phone. It was Amy.

"G'morning Orihime!"

"Hey,"

"I had an awesome day with Chris yesterday! He's really a nice guy and I was thinking of having a get together this Saturday at the beach! All of us could bring our boyfriends! Wouldn't that be exciting?"

"That sounds cool but I think I might be busy at the library,"

"AGAIN?"

"I might, Amy, I might. I'm not sure. Besides, you guys got your boyfriends except me!"

"Oh yeah! But who cares! Maybe you'll find a hunk on the beach on that day!"

"You never change, Amy."

There was a sudden pause. Then, "Orihime, actually I've got some unpleasant news for you." 

My heart raced fast. Was it related to Ulquiorra?

"If you were to come along, the whole situation won't be as gleeful as you'd think of because I have a feeling that Roxanne and Brandon aren't getting along. Roxanne hasn't been telling me anything for a few days," she said seriously.

I breathed. "Well, it is rather obvious that she's into that AJ guy. I think she should just come clean about it with Brandon." 

"I just called her before calling you. She was crying,"

"Ohhhh…."  
"She's saying that Brandon hasn't been phoning her or text messaging her. She's tensed up right now,"  
"Roxanne has to make a choice. She'll have to choose. It's either Brandon or AJ,"  
"Exactly, I asked her if she had anything with AJ but she kept denying and said that AJ is like a big bro to her but I don't see it that way,"

"She should really think about it. Brandon is a nice guy and it would be a waste if she were to dump him but I can't stop her from her feelings,"

"True, true."

I didn't feel comfortable talking about Roxanne. I should get back to my chores.

"Orihime,"

"Yes?"

"How does the snake guy look again?"

"Ohh, that guy? Umm, lip piercings and rather skinny?"

"I think I saw that guy. But there could be many in this town and yeah yesterday, Chris and I passed some local fast food outlet and we saw this creepy skinny guy dressed as if he got back from a funeral and his eyes are greenish. Is that the guy you bumped into a few weeks ago?"

My eyes widened with fear. That was not a good sign.

"I can't remember the colour of his eyes," I lied. "And anyway, I've forgotten how he looks like. I can't recall right now."

Amy was still persistent. "Does he have milky white skin?"

I lied. "I can't remember that. It happened too fast. I dropped my stuff; he picked them up, apologised and walked away. It's hard for me to remember."

"Hmm…..He definitely looks like a freak. If I see him in the night, I'd think that he might be a zombie," Amy said.

All of a sudden, I could feel slight rage running through my body. I wish she hadn't said something like that. So, I decided to change the topic.

"Hey Amy, I really have to get back to my chores. Maybe we should have the gathering next week after Roxanne has cleared things up with Brandon," I said.

"Sounds logical. Talk to you another time, Orihime."

She hung up before I could say goodbye. Now, I still remain with one problem. How was I going to tell my mom that I was going out with Ulquiorra? Should I lie to her? But what if she phoned one of my friends?

After a few minutes of thinking, I decided to call Tatsuki. I trust her to keep my secrets and she is good in keeping one's secrets.

"Orihime-chan?"

"Tatsuki! Hey umm, are you free this weekend?"

"I am. Why?"

"Because I need you to be part of my lying scheme,"

"Lying scheme?"

"Yes, because…Oh please keep this a secret, will you? Don't tell Roxanne and Amy, please?"

"Alright! What is it?"

"Do you still remember the otaku who bumped into me?"

"You did talk about him. Why?"

"Because, he asked me out to go to an exhibition at the local museum these weekends and I'm supposed to reply whether or not I'm going,"  
"Did you tell your mom about it? Hey wait! You're accepting a stranger's invitation?"

I took a deep breath and told her everything. I felt slightly relieved as if a huge load on my shoulder has been lifted off. Thank goodness Tatsuki wasn't shocked or surprised or whatsoever.

"Orihime, I know that eventually you'll meet a nice guy just for you but wow, you have been keeping a lot of things from me. I know what you feel. Ever since that whole incident back when you're a kid, you're trying to be strong about it. But do you know where he's schooling?" she asked.

"Pearson High," I replied.

"Do you know his friends or anything more about his life?"

"I've seen his friends. They look normal,"

"Alright,"

"Tatsuki, will you please come along with me to the museum?"

"Yes, sure if you'll tell me what time and which day I should pick you up,"

"I'll text you later, ok?"

"Sounds good to me. But what has this got to do with the lying scheme?"

"Umm, I'm going to lie to my mom that only the both of us are going to the museum,"

"You should just tell her the truth. She won't mind that I'm there with you. She does trust me, I think,"

"Yes she does but I just don't want her to freak out the fact that I'm going out with a guy I met at the library,"

"_Soukka_. Anyway, _sayonara_!"

"_Sayonara_!"

We both hung up and I sighed deeply.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

In the end, I did tell the truth to my mother and she was rather surprised that I didn't tell her that I've made a new friend. I told her everything except the times where we met at the beach during the nights. She was more convinced when I mentioned that Tatsuki was chauffeuring me to the museum. I had no choice but to show mom the booklet that Ulquiorra gave me. She was rather skeptic that he bought it for me but she allowed me to go to the exhibition with Tatsuki and Ulquiorra.

The exhibition was exciting but it felt odd going out with Tatsuki and Ulquiorra. They hardly talked and it was as if the both of them were foes. Ulquiorra did talk a bit to Tatsuki about soccer but that was it. Ulquiorra stole several glances at me whenever Tatsuki was deep in her thoughts when reading the descriptions about the artifacts. Ulquiorra wanted to talk to me but he seemed very shy around Tatsuki. He was too silent today. Most of the time it was me who brought up the conversation to allow the both of them to converse with each other.

"Orihime, I have to go to the Men's," he said and he disappeared in the crowd. I simply nodded.

Tatsuki grasped my arm tightly and pulled me over to a corner where there weren't many people.

"He seems really silent, Orihime. Don't you find him very shy or too deep in his thoughts?" Tatsuki enquired with a tone of peculiarity.

"He does talk a lot to me at the library. I mean, whispers a lot of things but I don't know why not today. Maybe it's because he's shy around new people?" I said.

She rubbed her chin and thought. "I think he likes you."

I could feel my cheeks reddening.

"I think he intended to only have you as an accompany today but I guess I'm in his way," she added.

I quickly said, "Don't be ridiculous! Why would you be in his way?"

She gave me a dark look. "He's trying to take _this_ as a date, silly! Haven't you thought of that? I mean he doesn't ask you on a dinner but he's trying not to do the usual. Obviously, Orihime!"

I placed my hands to my mouth.

"You do like him, don't you?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I…umm," I stammered.

Tatsuki placed her hands on my shoulders and said, "Orihime, if you really like him, just go for it. I'm not going to hold you back. I can tell that he likes you and I'm just making an assumption based on what you've told me. So, you should give him a chance. And yourself too. You might never know, Orihime. He might seem cold and scary on the outside but deep down, he could be a warm and caring guy when he opens up to someone he likes."

I took a deep breath. She was telling the truth. Maybe I should just accept the fact that I really like him.

"You're right, Tatsuki," I said with a grin.

We walked back to the crowd and he was there, watching at a black and white documentary of World War 2. His eyes suddenly darted to me and I felt my heart skipped a beat. He really has the ability to make my heart beat that way. He didn't smile but I could tell from his eyes that he seems glad to see me.

When we were done with the exhibition, Tatsuki was busy window shopping at the souvenir store. I was waiting for her outside. Ulquiorra came to me and said, "Did you enjoy the exhibition?"

I grinned at him. "It's good. Thanks for inviting me to this place."

He leaned closer to me and said, "I knew you'd like it, Orihime." The boy pulled away from me and that was the moment Tatsuki exited the shop. I really had a great day. And now I was looking forward to spend more time with him.

xxxxxxxxxx

It was one in the morning and I couldn't sleep. My mind was too worked out about what to do until school reopens. Time flies really fast as what most people would say. My summer this year has been fine all along but it would have been better if dad stayed longer and spend more time with me.

I couldn't sleep. I tried listening to rock ballads and jazz music but that didn't seem to work. I tried reading my boring school textbook but I seemed to be bored than sleepy. I sketched more and more original random manga characters I pictured in my head but it seemed to work my mind more than tire my mind.

Going on the internet wouldn't help either. That would get me more worked up watching latest anime videos posted on several popular anime sites. I breathed out loud as I stared out of my window. I could see a stray dog wagging its tail while running down the dark streets. I exhaled loudly against the window- swarming white puffs of mist circling around the mirror.

Suddenly, my cellphone vibrated continuously on my study table. I wondered who was calling me at a time like this. I reached for my phone and checked the caller ID. It was Roxanne.

"Hello?" I said softly.

"Thank goodness you're awake. I can't sleep," she muttered.

I grinned. "You didn't try your mom's sleeping pills?"

"She hasn't stocked them yet,"

"Ok. What's up?"

"I just can't sleep and I think Amy has told you about it, right?"

"Umm, about what?"

"Orihime, I don't think I fancy Brandon anymore,"  
"Oh yes I know that. I was actually thinking why you're not into him anymore,"

"I have been loving Brandon but I just can't help but to consider AJ. I dunno!"

"So sorry I can't help you out with this. I have no experience,"

"I've spoken to Amy and Tatsuki. They said that I should decide who's right for me,"  
"But Roxanne, I don't think you should leave Brandon. He's a nice guy,"

"Orihime you don't get it! I do like Brandon but I'm just thinking that our relationship is getting loose!"

"Maybe you should stop seeing AJ,"

"But he's just a friend!"

"Brandon feels uncomfortable with AJ, I guess. But I thought you'd at least tell him that AJ's your new friend,"

"He won't get it! He's just a little too worried if I befriend another guy,"  
"I think it's because you're closer to AJ more than you're closer to the other surfer dudes who taught you surfing,"

"But shouldn't he care about what kind of friends I would like to have,"

"You're in a relationship with him, so you should be more sensitive about what he feels when he sees you with another guy when you didn't even tell him that that's your new guy friend,"

"Why are you suddenly arguing with me?"

"I'm just advising you." 

I felt slightly tensed. I couldn't believe she was trying to cheat on Brandon! I couldn't fathom what was going through her mind! I have never seen her so unfaithful like this! What had happened to her?

"Roxanne, you should ask yourself why you should go with AJ! To tell you the truth, I don't know why I'm getting so tensed up about this unnecessarily," I said, raising my voice.

"I was expecting you to help me," she said and she hung up.

I left the cellphone on the table and lay on my bed, staring at the dull ceilings. It was going to be harder for me to fall asleep when I'm upset. I couldn't believe she got me pissed off for no solid reason. It was as if she wanted me to agree with her so that she can use it as an excuse to tell my other friends that she was going to dump Brandon and move on with AJ.

xxxxxxxxxx

I woke up late. It was almost eleven and again my mom was out. I was about to fix myself a simple breakfast when the corner of my eye noticed a note pinned by a magnet on the refrigerator. It said:

Orihime-chan, I've left some money for you near the housephone. Take care and give me a call when you're awake.

With love,

Mom.

I called her up before leaving the house. I decided to have brunch instead. I made my way to the popular waffle eatery of the town and I had a shock of my life seeing Ulquiorra and his friends as I entered the shop. One of them spotted me and whispered to Ulquiorra. His eyes widened a bit and he turned to look at me. I felt pleased that he took off the lip rings.

It turns out that the giggling boy grinned at me and invited me over to join them. I refused to join but I had to be polite and walk over to their place. What was odder than this?

"Heh, library girl working at the sports shop, eh?" the giggling boy said.

"Where's your manners, Nnoitra?" said the Mexican looking guy. He grinned with apology.

The girl and the guy with the light blue hair stared at me incredulously.

The Mexican boy ushered me to sit opposite him, next to Ulquiorra. I silently sat next to him. Ulquiorra looked rather uncomfortable.

"Sorry about Nnoitra," said the Mexican boy. "I'm Coyote, Stark Coyote by the way," he added as we shook hands.

"Inoue Orihime," I said.

Ulquiorra turned to me. He introduced all of his friends to me flatly, especially when it came to Nnoitra. I had a strong feeling that the girl(Halibel) and the other boy(Jeagerjacques) are an item. They seemed to be talking quietly between them. Stark seemed friendly but Nnoitra was rather freaky. His rebonded long jet-black hair and earsplitting(almost, I think) laughter made me feel very uncomfortable.

I ordered a regular waffle with vanilla ice-cream and mineral water. I was just going to have that for brunch. Mom would be pissed off but I couldn't be too bothered. I was beginning to feel bored of cereal every morning and buttered loaf once a while. By the time my meal came, they were almost done with their waffles and pancakes.

"Do you often come here?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Sometimes," I replied.

Stark folded his arms to his chest and said, "We come here every weekend even to have our group studies." 

The blonde girl stood up, shortly accompanied by the light blue haired boy.

"We'll be back in a jiffy. Halibel's going to the store next to this," said the boy, Jeagerjacques.

Ulquiorra and Stark nodded. Nnoitra was still eating his pancakes.

"Ulquiorra told me that you're into anime," said Stark.

"Heh! That's why he's so into you and-" said Nnoitra excitedly while staring at me but Ulquiorra snapped, "Shut up, trash."

My face was reddening. Did Ulquiorra tell his friends that he had feelings for me? I would be dead embarrassed if Roxanne and Amy found out. They would shun me for the rest of my high school life if I did become Ulquiorra's girlfriend. It would be just as bad as Nnoitra teasing Ulquiorra by saying out loud that he likes me.

Stark and Ulquiorra gave dark looks at Nnoitra. I was creeping out too much by this guy. Now I really wish to get out of here. I chowed down the last portion of my waffle and I stood up to wash my hands.

"You're leaving?" Ulquiorra asked, almost like a whisper. But I could hear his voice was rather shaky as if he was worried.

"Just washing my hands," I said calmly and I walked off to the sink.

The cool water splashed against my skin before applying the soap and scrubbing my palms. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and saw the three of them at the table. Ulquiorra was silent but Nnoitra and Stark were having a deep conversation. I pitied Ulquiorra if he always felt left out most of the time. Maybe he did like the silence.

I got back to the table and sat quietly. Nnoitra then left the table. Stark massaged his temples and apologised to me. He stood up and walked to the counter to get himself another drink.

I turned to look at Ulquiorra. He looked a bit tensed. He turned to me and softly said, "I'm sorry about Nnoitra. He's just too hyper." 

I said, "I'm alright. I'm just a little bit surprised with his behaviour."

"Do you play any instruments?" he asked suddenly.

As far I recalled in my life, I never knew how to play instruments. I was only good in sketches, drawing and writing poems. I was also a big wuss when it comes to sewing and that weakness is what makes my mom tease me sometimes. I would often just grin sheepishly and pretend that it was nothing big.

I giggled stupidly and said, "Sadly, no."

Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow and said, "Ok, I see. Nevertheless, it doesn't affect our program. We're off to a jamming studio, Orihime."

Wow, that, he never told me. He hadn't tell me that he had musical talent. After all this while we've been talking and asking each other questions, I finally knew that he could play an instrument.

"What do you play?" I asked excitedly.

He replied nonchalantly, "Bass guitar. My dad taught me that after teaching me the guitar. I find passion playing bass because that particular instrument is the filler of the music. I don't know any other better word for it. It accompanies the whole band but it's a support to the band."

"Do you listen to Van Halen, huh? Mr Rockstar," I chuckled.

He placed his elbows on the table with his left hand supporting his chin. He said, "Sometimes I do. I think they're good. New or old rock music, they're something to appreciate."

The whole afternoon was a new experience. I hung out with them and they seem to be nice people, just like Ulquiorra but they were louder than him. The friendliest were Stark and Nnoitra. Halibel and Jeagerjacques were occupied to themselves. They hardly speak to me but once awhile Halibel would give me a weak smile and her boyfriend would just steal a glance at me whenever he wanted to talk to Ulquiorra.

The music they played was loud but decent. I am not a big fan of rock or metal music but they played well. Ulquiorra played the bass, Halibel and Nnoitra played the guitars, Stark was on the drums and Jeagerjacques was the vocalist who sometimes strummed the guitar.

When it was break time, Ulquiorra taught me a bit of the guitar and I kept laughing at myself whenever I couldn't get the chords right. He said that it was easier to teach me the chords than the notes. It would take quite some time to teach me to play the notes on the guitar. I managed to learn to play the G Major and C Major chords. I felt excited that someone was kind enough to teach me how to to play an instrument.

I was anticipating a grin from him but even when he taught me, his face was emotionless. When will he loosen himself to laugh or grin? That was something I couldn't decipher. It was just as bad as Calculus.

It was almost two and the gang wanted to do something else. Halibel and Jeagerjacques wanted to go to the skatepark and Nnoitra wanted to play his pc games at home. So, Stark, Ulquiorra and I went to Borders bookstore because Stark wanted to get himself a copy of a magazine for gamers. Ulquiorra managed to show me some books that I should read and he recommended quite a lot of manga too at the comic section. I did tell him about biographies of certain mangaka that he should read up. Their stories are really interesting and inspiring.

The day was over and Ulquiorra offered Stark and I a ride back home. He called up his driver and I wasn't surprised to see a Mercedes Benz coming to direction. We got in and the car smelled like fresh flowers. I'm very sure the car is well maintain from time to time. We dropped off Stark before heading to our house.

"Your house is just as nice as how I saw it that night," Ulquiorra stated.

"Thanks," I replied.

The both of us got out of the vehicle and he shut the car door so that we could talk privately. We walked to the lawn and he asked, "Orihime, do you have any pets?"

I replied, "No."

"Ok. _Sayonara_, Orihime," he said and he walked away. I waved at him and thought how soothing his voice was to my ears when he spoke my mother tongue.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside, shutting the door and locking it again. I began to wonder how long I would have to wait for one of us to express our feelings for each other. Now, I am certainly positive that we have strong feelings for each other. Tatsuki had already stated how obvious he was based on his body language. I shouldn't hold back if I really like him.

I was preparing myself a glass of orange juice when my cellphone sounded. Someone had just sent me a text message. I fished the phone out of the pocket of my jeans and my eyes widened with surprise. It was Ulquiorra. My question had been answered. He is the first to express it. The text message:

R u free Friday evening? There's a local dance gathering Rockbell Hall. Food and beverage r provided. Cost: $25 per person. Attire: formal cocktail. Dun worry, the event's 4 ppl aged 16+.

I thought for a moment. I wasn't good at dancing. But maybe he could help me. I replied:

Tht sounds kewl. Wht time r u gonna b there? 

He replied:

Event starts 7.30pm. I'll pick u up 6.45pm? Is tht alrite w/ u? 

I grinned to myself. It was like a prom night but I was certain that there would also be older people there. I replied:

Mom's permission 1st. I knw ur bored of tht bt I live under her rules.

I wasn't sure if he really was being sarcastic but he sent me his last message:

:p As if I dun need my parents' permission.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

I told Tatsuki and my mom about the local dance night and they both were positive about it. Tatsuki told me that Amy and Chris were also planning to attend but they cancelled the plan one day before the dance because Chris and his family had to leave town due to family reasons. Tatsuki and Jared were coming along and she was pleased of the fact that I was going to dance with Ulquiorra. I kept repeating how much a klutz I am when it comes to dancing and she spent a few nights sleeping over at my house to teach me a bit of dancing as how her aunt had taught her.

When the night had arrived, I was feeling very nervous. Tatsuki was wearing a strapless black dress with the length above her knees. I was wearing a white dress with the stringy cloth tied behind my neck. I hadn't put on too much makeup but I did like the way Tatsuki and my mom styled my hair. They really make a good hairdressing team.

Jared and Ulquiorra were in time to pick us up. My mom saw Ulquiorra from far and she whispered to me, "He seems like a nice guy." Ulquiorra was dressed in a simple tuxedo and his lips were free from the lip rings. His dark lips were a great contrast to his chalky white skin. 

I blushed and said my farewell before getting out of the house. I could feel my hands freezing eventhough the shawl was around my body. I grabbed Tatsuki's hand and she jolted a bit. She stared at me as if I was very ill.

"Relax, Orihime. Things will go fine and remember not to rush because you don't want to step on his shoes later," she hissed at me before heading off to Jared. She threw her arms around his waist and they got into his convertible.

Ulquiorra opened the door of his car for me and said, "Good evening, Orihime."

I smiled at him and entered the car. He sat stiffly next to me. He glanced at me from head to toe. I looked into his eyes, trying to seek the hidden message that I wanted to know so much. His milky white fingers(apparently he hadn't taken off the nailpolish) ran across my fringe was strangely covering a part of my face. His green eyes caught my brown eyes as he stared deeper into my eyes. He resumed to his original position and muttered, "You're so beautiful this evening. So much like a princess."

My face reddened and I could feel the warm blood flushing all the way to my face. I felt like running my fingers in his jet black hair but I was too afraid to do so. I paid $25 to him as a thank you for paying it for me in advance so that we could get the admission pass to the dance. We didn't speak to each other until the driver brought us to the hall.

Tatsuki grabbed my hands the moment she saw me. Jared walked over to Ulquiorra and introduced himself. Ulquiorra looked more relax from his body language. I could tell that she was quite excited. I never knew she would be so excited to dance but I guess it was because she was with her boyfriend that made her ok with dancing.

"He seems cool and you should be too," she whispered into my ear as she eyed Jared and Ulquiorra.

"Thanks for the support, Tatsuki," I said.

She joined Jared and they entered the hall. Ulquiorra came over to me, staring deeply into my eyes. He held my hand and said, "Shall we, Orihime?"

I nodded my head and the both of us made our way to the hall. The decoration was fascinating and the music played over the speakers were good. There weren't many senior citizens and most of the people who attended were teenagers and working people. Thank goodness Amy and Roxanne weren't present or else they'd freak out seeing me with Ulquiorra.

The four of us sat at a corner, drinking and chatting a bit before the musicians got on stage to play their music. When the musicians started playing, we were getting ready on the dance floor. Tatsuki and Jared were already dancing in a romantic manner. Her face was buried in his shoulder and I could see Jared whispering into her ear.

I was just getting ready. Ulquiorra had locked one arm behind me and another was grabbing my arm. I followed suit and we danced according to the beat. We were staring so deep into each other's eyes as if there was nothing else in this hall but the both of us. The more I looked into his emerald eyes, the more I felt as if I was drowning helplessly in his beautiful eyes. His warm hand grasped my hand so gently and I liked it.

"Have you ever danced like this?" he asked.

I replied, "No. I actually dislike dancing."

He curiously asked me, "Why so?"

I bit my lip. "Well, that's because I lack the ability to follow the rhythm."

He made a soft grunt. "I don't think so. You're good right now. You can keep up, I can tell."

The musicians were playing a faster rhythm and he was moving faster. I tried my best to keep up to the beat and thankfully so far I hadn't stepped on his shoes. It would be embarrassing to do so. He was a good dancer, no doubt but I felt awful because I felt like a klutz dancing with him.

"Orihime, you're doing well. Don't frown or you won't look like the beautiful princess I was sitting next to in the car," he whispered softly in my ear. The music was really slow. I looked over at Tatsuki and Jared. Her arms were around his neck and his arms were around her waist. Their faces were just inches away and they were close to kissing.

Suddenly, I found my chin resting on his shoulder. I felt embarassed. I have never been this close to him. I could feel the warmth of his body against mine. It felt so good. His minty breath blew coolly down my neck. I shivered a bit and gently pulled away from him. He was rather confused.

"I-I-I'm sorry. I s-shouldn't do th-that," I stammered, sounding like a fool.

He pulled me closer to him and said, "It's alright. You're just a little nervous. You can rest your head again on my shoulder if you want to."

I simply stared into his emotionless face and looked away. Jared and Tatsuki were no longer on the dance floor. The song ended and the both of us decided to munch on something seems like we've already paid for it. Might as well eat as much as we want. Ulquiorra sat silently next to me at the table and his hand was resting on cheek, his fingers sliding down smoothly on my jawline. He looked very relaxed and by the look in his eyes, there was something he wanted to tell me.

"Ulquiorra," I said.

He pulled his hand away from me to pick up his fork to eat his salad. I gently placed my hand on his other hand and eyed his every movement. I surely was hungry but I was more curious about this boy. I leaned closer to him.

"I like the way you dance."

He wiped his lips with the napkin and looked at me. "You make this evening complete, Orihime. I dreaded for this dance every year but no one would go with me. Halibel offered to accompany me but I refused because I wanted her to dance with someone she really enjoyed with but she wasn't really into dancing. That's why Jeagerjacques and her aren't here tonight. They've attended this event last year because it was a modern disco themed event. They wouldn't bother this type of theme."

I looked away from him, angled my head downwards so that my fringe would cover my face but he wasn't stupid to know what I was doing. He gently pushed the fringe away from my face.

"You don't have to be shy with me, Orihime. It's just me," he said coolly.

I looked at him. I really liked him. I wanted to be with him. I wish to express my feelings to him but I was a coward. I was too shy to even let him know that I was having a good time. I did compliment his tuxedo and that was it.

"Thanks for inviting me," I said confidently. That was the best I could say.

We danced a little bit more until it was nine-thirty and the four of us decided to go elsewhere. My curfew was ten and I only had an hour left to spend with him. Tatsuki and Jared went off to his house to pick up his guitar to lend to her. Ulquiorra's driver brought us to a park and he bought me a bottle of water. He offered something more expensive but I only wanted water.

"The night stars are twinkling brightly. Shining up there gracefully," he mumbled.

I stared at him and praised, "That's a spontaneous couplet!"

He looked back at me while holding my hand. "Orihime, thank you for accompanying me tonight. I have been looking forward to this dance since the past two years." 

I replied, "I'm glad that I danced quite well." 

"You are a great dancer," he snapped.

Moment of silence fell on us. We continued gazing at the stars.

"Orihime, do you…..like me?" he asked, his voice sounded rather shaky. I could tell he was nervous. That was a straight forward question.

I grinned and said, "You are unique guy, Ulquiorra. What's there not to like about you?"

He flatly said, "People in my school think I'm a dead man even when I try to be friendly with them. Only my friends understand me but they sometimes don't get it why I'm solitary."

"Ulquiorra, I don't judge people by how they dress or how they act. There are reasons why one is like that. You need not feel insecure of yourself. You're so different from others and I like that. You're so confident in what you do and that's what makes me…..feel good being around you. I can be myself without doubting what you think of me. I know I'm boring but I can't help if I am fated to be a boring person," I said truthfully.

"You're honest, Orihime. I-I-I like you for your honesty. Seriously," he said in his monotonous voice. His hand slowly let go of mine but I held it back.

"Ulquiorra, I know what you're feeling right now. I do, the same way as you too and it's strange that I sound pathetic being so indirect in a confusing way," I said.

Ulquiorra leaned forward. Was he going to kiss me? However, he whispered, "Orihime, I really like you. Do you mind spending more time with me?"

He pulled back and stared at me with his slightly paranoid emerald eyes. He really likes me. He seriously likes me and I do feel the same way too.

I cupped his face and softly said, "Yes, Ulquiorra. I like hanging out with you."

Suddenly, he pulled me to his chest and hugged me. "I love you, Orihime." I could feel his lips pressed onto the top of my head. I hadn't been kissed on the lips but I guess this is good enough for a first date.

Those four words kept ringing in my head and I felt relieved that we had expressed our expressions to each other. I hadn't say the three words to him but I have indirectly mentioned that I really like him. I am so bad at expressing such things like this. This is my first love and maybe that's why I am so bad at it.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Ever since that night, my mind was calmer than ever and I have been writing more poems than ever, expressing my feelings for him. I managed to show him my sketches over the past few days but I hadn't allowed him to look at my recent poems. I simply lied and said that I had lost my touch for writing poems.

I still feel insecure. I am not sure if we really are an item right now because we hadn't done much but I do know that one of my friends has already broken up with her boyfriend. Who else but Roxanne? Amy SMS-ed me that the both of them were over. Brandon couldn't keep up with Roxanne's behaviour of uncertainty of unfaithfulness and their relationship is over. Too bad she left him but any guy in Brandon's place would obviously feel pissed off that his girlfriend hadn't told him that she'd made a new guy friend.

I told Tatsuki that Ulquiorra had expressed his feelings for me and that we wanted to hang out more often. I was also anxious about my first kiss and Tatsuki told me to be patient about it and let him make the move. Tatsuki knows more than me and I should just stick to her advice. My mother didn't question much about me and Ulquiorra but she was glad that I had a great night out with them.

"Should return this book tomorrow," I muttered to myself as I placed the book inside a paper bag.

My cellphone rang and I picked it up. Ulquiorra was on the line.

"Good morning, Orihime," he said.

"Good morning,"

"Do you play squash?"

"I used to. Why?"

"Stark and Nnoitra are coming over to my house for a game of squash. Would you like to join us?"

"I'll ask my mom if she could drop me off at your house,"

"Alright."

I begged my mom to send me to his house on her way to work. When I got to his house, my jaws dropped. It was a white coloured mansion that looked similar to Buckingham Palace but this is a mini version of it. This guy's filthy rich. Filthy rich. I could see the gardener watering the plants and a maid taking out the trash.

"Have fun, sweetie," mom said as I exited the car.

It turns out that I was the first to arrive. Ulquiorra greeted me and we made our way to the indoor squash court. His parents were out and we were the only ones at the squash court.

"Do your friends know that we're….dating?" I asked shyly.

"They…..know, my intention of me asking you out and to be…..my girl," he said and he looked away.

I held his face and he leaned forward to kiss me but we were interrupted by his ringing cellphone. I felt a pang of guilt that the cellphone was in the way.

Nnoitra and Stark arrived and the four of us were practically crowding the wide space in the squash court. I had fun playing with the three guys and I was awfully sweaty and after that, we were off to the basketball court. I felt like a fool there because I was short and that everyone else was a pro player.

Ulquiorra's butler and maid served us lunch and I felt fresh again after showering in the guests' bathroom. It was so clean, so untouched like a hotel that had just been built. The fresh towels prepared for me smelled so clean and the material of the towel is very smooth yet it can absorb a large amount of water from my wet body. I dressed in a mini skirt and a tank top with a denim jacket over my body.

As for lunch, we were being served Italian food. It was like living in a palace and according to Ulquiorra, Stark's house was bigger than this. I felt like I was surrounded by millionaire's kids. So much for having rich parents but I was thankful that I was living in a decent house.

"So, where do you plan to go after this?" Nnoitra asked Stark.

"To my dad's office," Stark replied.

Nnoitra turned to Ulquiorra. "Wanna go biking?"

"I don't do motorbikes, Nnoitra," Ulquiorra replied flatly.

"Tch! You're so boring," Nnoitra teased.

So, I was the only one left at Ulquiorra's house. He showed me his wide range of musical instruments in his music room and then he showed me his bedroom. The walls were white but it was covered with posters of bands, pc games and anime. His bed was a king size and his bed sheets were black in colour- a total contrast to his chalky white skin. Apart from that, the curtains were also white and there was a Macintosh pc set up at his study desk. At the corner of the room was a huge shelf with books.

His house was a good proof that he came from a rich family if one didn't know that he had a recent trip to Venice. Rich parents, rich kids, rich house, rich food.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Is the meatball alright?" Ulquiorra asked.

We were having spaghetti in the cinema(strangely) while watching an action movie called Gamers. It was odd to watch an action movie on a date but there weren't any other interesting movies to watch for people on dates.

I replied softly, "It's fine, thanks."

We walked around the park area, holding hands while star gazing and he had to compare my beauty with the moon and the stars. That was romantic but it made me blush. He pulled me closer to his body as we sat a bench. I was beginning to wonder when we will ever kiss.

"I love you, Orihime," he whispered into my ear as his hands held mine. Then, he went to my face. Leaning closer, his hand traced my jawline and we leaned even closer and finally our lips touched. It was a different feeling altogether. I had been kissed. It was something so different than being kissed on the top of the head, obviously but this was just not ordinary.

As if it was an automatic human reaction, my hands slid up his neck and locked around it. At the same time, I could also feel his arms wrapped around my waist gently as he deepened the kiss. Finally, his lips slowed down and slowly pulled away from me. I thought I had gone breathless. My legs have gone jelloid again and I felt so alive and new. Could a kiss by someone a person love can affect the lover so much like this?

"_Aishiteru_, Ulquiorra," I said as I held his face.

"I love you, baby," he said as he buried his face in my shoulder. I patted his back and whispered, "I love you too."

He sat up properly and for the first time in my life, his lips curled a bit into a weak smile. It was something that I had anticipated for a long time. He finally had shown some emotion after all this while of blank face. I must be lucky to see him smile. I had a strong feeling that he never showed his feelings to his friends.

That night was the best night of my life of feeling love. Loved by a guy apart from my relatives, was a foreign element in my life and tonight I've felt a feeling that I've never experienced for 17 years in this place, this town. And he, Ulquiorra was the first boy to _dig up_ that feeling that was buried deep inside of me. He was the first boy I've ever kissed. Maybe this summer wasn't as bad as how I thought it would be.

xxxxxxxxxx

No one knew that I have kissed Ulquiorra. Not even Tatsuki but I was certain that my mom knew that I've kissed him because she had also experience the same as me when she was a teenager. She wasn't too excited that I got a boyfriend but she was quite pleased that I have finally grown into a matured woman.

It was a rainy day and I was at Tatsuki's house with Amy and Roxanne. We were watching a horror movie titled The Grudge but none of us really paid attention to it because we were talking about the latest clothes, gossip in town and shopping for new accessories for school. School would reopen in one month's time and I wasn't feeling so excited about it.

Roxanne and I were cool again but today things were ugly. It turned out that someone saw me kissing Ulquiorra a few nights ago. I felt so unpleasant about it and I was rather offended by the rude comments made by Amy, who was of course supported by Roxanne. I felt betrayed when Tatsuki also supported them. I thought she was on my side but turns out that she was on their side. That little traitor!

"You were kissing him, weren't you?" Amy confronted.

Roxanne's jaws dropped. "You didn't tell us that you're going out with someone who looks like a snake?"

Tatsuki was silent.

"Ok, fine I have been keeping this a secret but I was planning to tell you guys one of these days," I defended myself.

"But I thought you wouldn't go out with a freak like him! I mean, you're still not over with what happened a few years ago, right? And besides, I told you to stay away from him! He probably plays with voodoo or any of those creepy stuff that goths play. And emo kids aren't healthy kids," Amy voiced out her opinion.

Did she actually know what she was talking about? How could emo and goth be associated together?

"Amy, he's fine. I've been at the library with him and nothing happened. We just talk and became friends and it just so happens that he really likes me and I like him too," I said honestly.

"Seriously? I mean, there are so many guys who are better than him!" Roxanne said.

I raised my voice. "Why are you so against him? Do you even know him?"

"Well, we don't know him but don't you find it strange that you're going out with someone who could be a drug pusher?" Amy said.

_URUSAI NA!_ I stood up and said, "How could you say such things about people just because you watched some movie on tv? Not everyone is like that! Drug pushers or whatever they are can also dress up as hip hoppers or hippies or casually! Why do you have to be so judgmental about the way people dress up?"

Tatsuki held my shoulder and said, "Calm down, Orihime."

"You're not going to tell them the truth! You saw how rich he is! You've seen the way he treated me!" I said.

"Excuse me, so you're lying all the while? I can't believe you Orihime! How could you lie to us and Tatsuki to defend you? That's selfish of you!" Roxanne retorted.

The afternoon was awful. I felt like going home and crying but the moment the sun was shining, I walked out of the door but Tatsuki offered to drive me home. It turns out that she still supports me but she wanted to see how I could defend myself from those girls. Maybe I shouldn't have lied but at least they could keep those rude comments to themselves.

"Thanks for the lift," I said gratefully to Tatsuki but a part of me was still angry.

"No problem. Hey umm, don't get offended by them, ok? Just leave them as they are. Maybe the four of us aren't meant to be bffs. Just remember this, a true friend is someone who appreciates you for who you are. Please don't cry, Orihime," said Tatsuki.

I was almost close to tears and I hugged her. I was so thankful to have a friend like her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

I have been spending my hours a lot with Ulquiorra. We ventured many places around town and talked a lot about each other. I really liked the fact that I could be myself around him. I began to feel more comfortable opening up myself to him and holding him tightly as I leaned my head against his arm.

I haven't gotten any news from Amy and Roxanne but Tatsuki had recently reported that Roxanne was bonding with AJ at the beach. I wasn't so bothered about them. I had better things to do like reading a manga, writing poems and texting Ulquiorra until early in the morning. Why should I take notice if Roxanne wanted AJ to be her new boyfriend or Amy getting very hype about Chris? They practically look down on my boyfriend and it was very aggravating and upsetting altogether.

Boyfriend? I couldn't believe I was officially his girlfriend. I mean, I feel so tiny next to him because I was so the opposite of him in terms of our appearance and personality. Interests didn't matter but I never knew he wanted to even befriend a talkative clumsy and paranoid girl like me. What does he see in me? Like what most would say: opposite attracts.

The wind rustled against the tree. I was anxious. Ulquiorra should be here by now. We planned to have picnic here and I was beginning to worry if anything happened to him on his way. The sun rays shone on the lake, glittering rays reflecting on the water, blinding my eyes. I looked away and stared at the picnic basket and mat not far from my feet.

I leaned my back against the tree and wondered where he was. Suddenly, I felt a hand covering my eyes from behind. I ran my fingers across the hand and felt it for awhile. It was obviously Ulquiorra.

I grinned and said, "Ulquiorra Schiffer." 

The hand moved away and he appeared in front of me from behind the tree. He placed a hand on the tree stem and closed into me. Our lips met and we paused the kiss. He still hadn't put on his lip rings for a long time and I preferred it that way. Today he was in a plain white t-shirt with a pair of dark brown pants and Vans sneakers. A three studded belt was hugging his slim hips and he had never left home without a belt.

"I've brought home made stuff. My maid baked it specially for the both of us," he said nonchalantly.

"Great," I said and we both got down with the picnic. There was so much amount of food prepared on the picnic mat and we were passionately eating them while enjoying each other's accompany. It was so different from having picnic with my dad. Ulquiorra was more talkative today but of course the tone of his voice was passive as ever. I told him about my friends with a heavy heart as he enquired what they thought of him. I had no choice but to be frank to him. I did not tell him every single word that Amy and Roxanne had rudely shove to my face but I just simply told him that they were rather skeptic that I was going out with him. He seemed a little relax when I told him about Tatsuki and Brandon. It wouldn't affect him much but he felt comfortable hearing about them. Nevertheless, I told him that no matter how my friends reacted, I would always consider him as who he is.

Changing the topic, I said, "Ulquiorra, why do you like my sketch of the lonely girl? I mean, why do you always feel like that? May I know, if you wouldn't mind telling me?"

He folded his arms to his chest and thought for a moment before replying me, "Well, that's because I've always been like that since junior high and I don't know why I hardly ever speak even when I was younger. My parents aren't the talkative type nor the silent type. Probably because I follow my grandfather but I guess this is how I am supposed to be."

I could tell from the tone of his voice that he wasn't telling me 100% the truth. I persisted further, "But, I don't get it. I mean, you hardly ever smile or laugh. Even some people who have been through hardship could laugh sometimes."

Ulquiorra's fists clenched tightly, his nails digging into his palms. It was true that he was lying somewhere in his sentences. I wanted to know why. As a girlfriend, I'm supposed to know about him so that I could help him.

"You wouldn't want to know," he muttered darkly.

"I'm listening," I said sternly.

He took a deep breath and said, "It might sound like a fairytale but you have to keep your promise that you will believe every single word I say and that you won't repeat this story to anyone else. I trust you, Orihime."

I nodded. I was ready to accept whatever he was going to say.

"My uncle used to drug me when I was in junior high," he said bluntly.

My jaws dropped and I instantly cupped his face and whispered against his lips, "How could he do that?"

"It's the truth," he whispered back and pulled his face away from me. "It turns out that that particular drug had a strong effect on my emotions. I vomited countless times, had severe heart attack and a horrible headache. I thought I was dying but thankfully the doctors managed to detoxify my body. I feel as if all the happiness has been drained out of me. I was sent to rehab at a very young age and when I got back to public school, people often stare at me and alienate me. I felt like strangling every one of them but it was pointless to do so. They thought I was a drug addict when actually I have been drugged. My father was furious and wanted the worst punishment on him. The court decided to prison him for the rest of his life. My mother couldn't believe that allowing my uncle to baby sit was a bad idea. It sounded as if my uncle was jealous of my father." 

He paused and looked away from me. I felt so sorry for him. The pain and suffering he had to go through. I couldn't believe such humans like his uncle existed. Kenji-san would be mad if he heard that.

I placed my hand on his face, turning it to face me. I was close to tears and I kissed him. He pulled away from me and said, "Please, Orihime, don't cry." 

Salty droplets were forming a large pool of salt around my eyes. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Ulquiorra forced his thumbs on the tears and wiped them off. He pulled me closer to me and caressed my hair.

He whispered, "Shh…Please don't cry. I'm feeling better since high school. Please don't cry, baby."

I bit my lip and sobbed. I felt so sorry for him. I couldn't believe students made fun of him in junior high. I was thankful that he had Nnoitra, Stark, Jeagerjacques and Halibel as his friends. It was too bad that we weren't in the same school or I'd be able to see him everyday and calm his paranoid thoughts.

"Orihime, baby," he whispered softly in my ear.

I didn't respond or even reply. I cried for almost an hour and he couldn't do much about it but just to whisper loving words into my ears while kissing the top of my head at intervals. I have never heard anything as sad as this before and I was certain that Tatsuki would feel very deeply affected if she hears this story but I was only allowed to keep it to myself. Just in my mind. I had to share his pain and grief in my mind.

xxxxxxxxxx

I tried my best to forget whatever he had said but sometimes it would haunt my mind. Two more weeks and school was about to reopen. Ulquiorra and I went shopping around town for stationeries and things that would be useful for us when school reopens. He got himself a new sling bag and I was mostly buying pencils and things like that.

Once awhile I would cry silently in the night by myself on my bed, thinking how miserable his life is. I hated the fact that no one really appreciated him except his friends and that such a cruel human exist. This world is twisted and wicked. I just cannot even imagine why drugs and such exist. I don't see why people indulge in them.

Four in the morning and I'm still wide awake. Tears were soaking a part of my pillow, forming a huge blotch on it. I sniffled a bit as I reached out for the hot cocoa next to my bed that obviously had gone cold like my feet. The air-conditioner wasn't switched on but the night was very cold. I was going to have a hard time sleeping tonight. When I thought I couldn't stay up late but it seemed that stacks of colourful but problematic Uno sticks can make me insomniac and leave me looking like a zombie the next day.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Orihime-chan, are you alright? You seem sleepless," mom said as I stared at my cereal bowl. I have lost my appetite.

She sighed and said, "Please eat. I can't concentrate on my work if you're depressed. I know school's reopening but that doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. Besides, you've got your friends if you don't get to see him in school."

The last two people I would want to hear are Amy and Roxanne. I bit my lips and forced myself to have a spoonful of whatever was in my bowl. My mother looked more relaxed and she resumed eating her toast.

"Do you want me to drop you off at Ulquiorra's place?" she offered.

"_Ie_, _oka-san_. I'm just going to stay at home and clean up a bit," I replied.

xxxxxxxxxx

"I can't believe summer is going to end so quickly," I said.

Ulquiorra and I were seated on a tree branch. One week to go and I would hardly meet him. Now I feel like my happiness has been drained out.

He touched my cheek and said, "Pearson High is not far form where your school is. In fact, we could always meet up at the waffle store every weekend like how Stark had told you. We could also meet up when school's over. I will never want to leave you, Orihime." 

I inched closer to him and rested my head on his chest. He was warm and I liked it.

"Y' know, I've never told you this but…..I have never fallen in love in my life," I chuckled.

"Really? It's hard for me to believe," he said.

"Call me insane but you are actually my first boyfriend," I said.

He kissed the top of my head and said, "I was just being skeptical. You are my first too, my dear. I used to like this particular girl back in junior high but she was already taken. Taken away by death." 

I gasped but he grasped my hand tightly as signal not to overreact or be overemotional.

"She died of….cancer. I've never spoken to her but the only thing I ever got from her was just a neutral stare. I couldn't believe she passed away just like that. What a pity to die at such a young age," Ulquiorra said monotonously.

"Nevertheless, I am pleased that you are my first girlfriend," he added.

I looked at him lovingly and said, "That makes us equal now."

Without hesitating, I pulled his face closer to mine and kissed his dark lips. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with him.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

School was going to reopen in just a week. I was alone in my room, preparing my school stuff while listening to some Japanese pop music. I looked at the sketches on my wall. I was proud of them and Ulquiorra helped me out on improving my weaknesses in shading and inking. I was so grateful to have him as my boyfriend.

I couldn't believe how fast time flies and I am already packing up for school. I have already chosen the clothes and shoes that I would be wearing on my first day of school. It was something casual but as long it was decent for school then I'm fine. It didn't portray the real me as I was going to be mostly dressed in black(Ulquiorra wanted a picture of me fully dressed in black for the first day of school).

The colour black used to scare me when I was a little girl but that fear evaded ever since I entered junior high. I got used seeing punks. emos and goths. So, it didn't matter so much to me because it was just fashion and anybody could dress up as how they wanted. That would only be called variation in humans. Ok, I meant in terms of dressing. We are all different in looks, personality and appearance but to dress up differently from others is our choice.

I was about to chuck my new notebook into my schoolbag when suddenly I heard my mom calling out for me from the stairs. Apparently Amy and Roxanne were at the door. I replied, telling her to tell them to meet me in my room. If they wanted to apologise, they had to come to me. Not the other way round.

"Orihime," I heard Roxanne's muffled voice coming from the other side of the door.

"In a minute," I replied as I quickly hid a photo of me and Ulquiorra in my study desk.

I opened the door and stared at them. The both of them had apologetic looks on their faces. I sighed and allowed them in eventhough I was still quite pissed off at them. If they still wanted to continue this friendship, I would really appreciate it if they said nothing about Ulquiorra.

I locked the door and ushered them to sit on my bed as I sat at the study desk. Roxanne stared at Amy and they began nudging shoulders.

Sarcastically, I said, "I don't have the whole day, alright?"

Amy turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, Orihime! I shouldn't have said those rude comments! I take them back!"

Roxanne said, "I'm very sorry if I argued with you that night and also about your boyfriend! I didn't mean to be rude to you. I was being selfish."

I nodded my head and allowed them to continue.

"Do you forgive us?" Amy asked carefully.

I stood up and sighed.

"I know you girls didn't mean to hurt my feelings but of course I forgive you! But please, do not judge anybody without getting to know more about them?" I said.

They stood up and we hugged each other. Finally, we're friends again.

xxxxxxxxxx

The quadruplet group is back again. Four girls out to spend the night together before the summer ends with their boyfriends. I was certain that it would be a blast. The four of us were at the beach party right now. The party was thrown by one of the local cafes around the beach area. Ulquiorra and his friends would be there too. I was excited that Ulquiorra was coming along and that I would be spending a few hours with him before the boredom comes rolling in this Monday. I wanted to make this night a night of romance and fun for me.

I was dressed in a pair of brown shorts and aqua blue spaghetti strap(printed on it was a picture of sleeping cat) that I had bought recently at a factory outlet store. Ulquiorra was dressed in a pair of black ¾ pants with a plain gray t-shirt. Amy and Roxanne were of course in their bikini tops and wearing shorts. Tatsuki was dressed similar to me but she was wearing a black tank top. Nnoitra and Stark were also dressed similar to Ulquiorra. Halibel was dressed like Amy and Roxanne and Jeagerjacques wore a sleeveless top and Bermuda pants. The both of them look so cute together due to their athletic bodies. Amy and Tatsuki's boyfriends were also similarly dressed. As for Roxanne's AJ, he was topless(of course he had his shirt on earlier) and he was wearing surfer shorts.

The beach was decorated with tiki torches like in Hawaii and there was the luau. There was a long table occupied with a variety of food and beverages. It was only six thirty and the party had already started. Some teenagers were swimming in the sea and some were playing volleyball.

There was a stage set up a few meters away from the café and a roadie of a local indie band was busy sound checking. It was going to be a blast I can tell. People would be having fun with their friends and their partners, good music will be played by live musicians and there would be all sorts of games to entertain the crowd. The scene gave me an impression that I was in Huntington Beach instead of being in Texas.

I was dancing with my friends, dancing along to the rhythm of the songs being played live. We did head bang and rock out but after a couple of songs, I decided to get my waist wrapped around by Ulquiorra's slender fingers. We were writing random words on the sand using old twigs. I managed to write out a random sentence in Kanji and Ulquiorra praised me. He had written something very romantic when I was occupied with my random Kanji words. He had written:

Orihime 33 Ulquiorra

"Oh gosh, that's so beautiful," I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling his face closer to mine and eventually kissing him. I wasn't afraid if my friends saw me kissing him. One of them had already seen me kissing him and I wasn't embarassed anymore.

Ulquiorra wrapped his arm around me and softly said, "This night is as beautiful as you," while pointing to the darkened sky filed with twinkling stars. I had admitted that they're beautiful and the moon was already rising higher in the sky. A beautiful view for all of us to witness.

"Orihime! They've just brought your fave pizza!" I heard Amy calling out.

I turned to look at her. Chris had his arms around her waist and said, "Pizzas' up folks!"

The couple grinned at us. I said to Ulquiorra, "Let's get some pizzas," and he nodded, the both of us walking off to the table with food.

The dinner was simple but scrumptious and the music played by the live bands really rocked out the atmosphere. The gentle winds brushed against my face as inhaled and exhaled, calming my mind. There won't be frequent trips to the beach anymore and I better make the most of this.

Another band got on the stage(I have lost counted how many bands have played so far) and they were playing a slow song. Most of the attendants were holding on to their partners and dancing slowly to the beat. Ulquiorra had me close to him. I buried my face in his chest as usual while he spoke to me gently into my ear like he was trying to lullaby a child. His soothing voice really made me feel safe whenever I was with him.

"Orihime, I am rather embarassed to say this because it sounds very Shakespeare-ish," Ulquiorra whispered.

I muttered, "I'm not going to laugh at you."

"Promise?"

I grunted a bit and said, "Promise."

"You complete my summer," he said quickly.

I pulled away from his chest and said, "That wasn't so bad. You did make my summer different too. You're afraid to be romantic, aren't you? But I love your way of being romantic. It's so different from how others experience."

He clicked his tongue and mumbled, "I thought I'd be appearing like a fool trying too hard to be romantic."

I shook my head and said, "C'mon baby, you're being ridiculous."

He looked away. He was being his stubborn self again. My beloved Ulquiorra.

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The girls and I managed to participate in group games and we didn't first place but at least we did win the consolation prizes. Ulquiorra and his friends were our competitors but it was for the sake of fun. We had fun humiliating each other but we were all having a great time.

The party was almost over and Ulquiorra and I were seated on a log under a coconut tree. We were just talking, randomly drawing stuff on the sands and just enjoying the tranquility of being away from the crowd. It was silent but I really wanted this moment to be with Ulquiorra.

"I'm going to miss your beautiful face," he said as he kissed my neck and buried his face there.

I stroke his jet black hair and said, "I'm going to miss your sleek black hair." I chuckled a bit.

"The best moments are always the moments that does not last long. I hate going back to school," he grumbled.

"Me too but hey, at least we'll be senior," I said cheerfully. However, he didn't find it amusing. He was still being cold, indifferent and stoic.

"Well, I'd rather be stoned than attending Calculus," he said sarcastically. "You have no idea how I hate that subject so much."

I chucked, "C'mon, it's just only an hour of it."

"An hour of torture," he replied darkly.

Ulquiorra sat up properly and said, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

I replied, "I have no idea but I used to have silly imaginations when I was small. Sometimes I imagine myself baking cakes, sometimes I wish to be an astronaut and sometimes I feel like teaching others."

I rested my head on his chest and asked, "What about you?"

Sarcastically, he replied, "I'd love anything that requires cutting up."

I thought for a moment, then said, "A surgeon?"

He blinked and said, "A butcher, an executioner, a surgeon, a slaughter, a bounty hunter."

I laughed. He was just being silly. "Haha very funny!"

He looked away from me, staring at the beach. Then, he said, "I am just as clueless as you but I like cutting up things, just so you know. So a career as a surgeon might suit me."

I raised an eyebrow and pulled away from him. "Why so? Why are you so obsessed with cutting up things?" I held his face, staring cluelessly into his beautiful emerald eyes. I wanted to know if an incident in his past had anything to do with this.

I thought I could see his lips curling a bit but I guess it was just my imagination. He pulled me close to his face and whispered against my lips, "You'll never know why, honey. That is something you will never want to think of. It is something even I can't seek the answer to that mysterious, dark and macabre question."

As he ended his sentence, he pressed his lips on mine and we kissed under the moonlight.

**Epilogue**

_You complete my summer….._ Ulquiorra's voice rang in my head. It was only the second day of school for this semester and I was already dreading to meet him again. Time is jealous of us and very subjective. School hours felt very long but spending an hour with Ulquiorra made me feel like half a day had gone.

A part of me was pleased that I didn't have to worry too much about being protective about his feelings but another part of me wanted to anticipate his smile again. I knew why he was like that. No one will ever understand him but me. I knew a dark secret of his life that made him like this. He had been telling a few lies to protect his identity. He didn't want people to know too much about him for some reason. It is disturbing to retell an unpleasant past to everyone.

Despite the fact that the both of us came from different backgrounds, we still love each other. We were complex people in our own ways. He completes my summer and vice versa. He is rich, I am average. He is quiet; I am more talkative than him. He likes rock music, I like mainstream music.

Total opposites. _Yin _and _yang_. But one love. Love is something that brought us together. Whether it was coincident or fated, we have met each other outside a library on a summer day. A small incident can change one's life. In this case, two lives. Getting to know one another and sharing the same love. If only…..I could see him smile again. Just for me.

_FINITE!_ So, what do you guys think? I know it's rather dark sometimes but that's the best I can do to put Ulquiorra as a human in the story. I had to remove 'Grimmjow' because it wouldn't sound logical if parents were to name their kid 'Grimmjow' and so I had to just call him 'Jeagerjacques'. As you can see, there's a bit of Halibel X Grimmjow(aww, sowweee for the Stark X Halibel fans) and I'm so relieved finishing this in just four days after SPM has ended(it's a pain to upload all the chapters seems that I have other one shots to upload and yeah there's the 15 documents limit rules). Woohoo! Suggestions? Comments? Just click the little button at the bottom of the page. _ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!_


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